In order to cope with the global chip crisis, the US side requires TSMC, , Samsung and other companies to submit confidential data within a specified period. Today is the deadline, and the result has finally been settled. According to relevant information, as of now, no company on the list has publicly stated that it has completely refused to provide data to the US side. In other words, TSMC has also made a final decision on this matter.
TSMC makes the final decision
first talk about TSMC's final decision: TSMC has responded to the US's request to submit supply chain information to assist in solving the global chip shortage, while ensuring that no customer-specific data was disclosed in this submission. is a bit of a twist. Simply put, TSMC has agreed to submit data on time, but does not include customer-specific data.
At present, regarding the overall situation of submitting data, according to media disclosure information, as of November 7, 23 companies and institutions have submitted relevant information, including TSMC. It is worth mentioning that TSMC submitted three files on November 5, including a public form and two non-public files containing trade secrets.
The deadline for submitting data is , November 9, , and the US companies that have publicly stated that they will actively cooperate with them, Intel and German companies Infineon, have not yet submitted data. , TSMC, on the contrary, delivered the answer in advance. However, a spokesperson for TSMC emphasized in the email that TSMC is still committed to "protecting the confidentiality of customers as always."
The Korean attitude is the most interesting. At first, he expressed strong dissatisfaction, and even the ambassador said that he would not submit confidential information. But after the US made threatening remarks, it directly and actively cooperated. said yesterday that South Korean technology companies are preparing to "voluntarily" submit some semiconductor data. Samsung has been struggling with this for more than a month, but finally decided to submit relevant data.
Why did TSMC have to submit
Samsung is similar to TSMC, and it is also actively communicating and wanting to submit some data. The data requested by the US side is indeed very detailed. A total of 25 items need to be submitted, including process nodes, customer situation, inventory details, orders and actual shipment volume, production capacity and yield, etc., and detailed data from the past three years is required!
Many of these data are confidential to the company. Once all submitted, it is equivalent to revealing all the trump cards of the company. Because through these data, we can find out which customers are, the production capacity of customers, whether they are deliberately raising prices, etc. It will not only affect its own after-sales development, but also affect many customers, but they have to agree to submit it.
First of all, they rely too much on the US side. The development of TSMC and Samsung relies heavily on the US side, and it is actually the result of the US transfer of manufacturing. They not only use the US technology and equipment, but most of their customers are also US companies. , like Samsung, not only agreed to submit data, but also stated that it would further strengthen the semiconductor cooperation after submitting data.
Secondly, the consequences of not submitting are very serious. No business is willing to submit these trade secret data, but no business will completely refuse to submit it. Because the US side has long expressed its attitude that if companies do not submit, they have a way to force companies to hand over data. There have been many precedents in this point before, so these companies that require submission of data dare not try again.
Why TSMC has limited submission of
TSMC is of course no exception, which is similar to what was expected before. Previously, TSMC's attitude was also fluctuating when it came to submitting data. first responded not to leak sensitive information, and then said that the data would be handed over on time. He quickly changed his words and had a tough attitude, saying that he would not "completely submit the data" as required by the United States. Now, there is limited submission in advance.
TSMC does this, but it is not a complete compromise and does not disclose customer specific data. Because TSMC currently produces 11,600 different products, involving more than 510 customers.
and TSMC has repeatedly stated that customers are one of the most important factors in its success. If data involving customers is submitted, it will not only harm the interests of customers, but will also breach the trust of customers, which will affect the future development of TSMC. Therefore, TSMC insists on not submitting customer-specific data. Regarding customers, Zhang Zhongmou also emphasized again in his recent speech.
Recently, TSMC founder Zhang Zhongmou delivered a speech at a meeting, telling a series of stories about TSMC's growth. Among them, the most mentioned thing is about customers. He said that TSMC's successful business model is: it depends on who the customers are, not what the products are. The first step in his management strategy is customer first, and the measurement scale of TSMC's strategy is to meet customer needs. Therefore, when submitting data, TSMC will still attach importance to customer data.
Although the parties involved have basically agreed to submit the data, TSMC has also made its own decision. But this matter is not over yet, because although TSMC has handed in, it does not have customer-specific data and may not meet the requirements. Moreover, the US will definitely use data to arrange the next step of operations, which may require TSMC to take more excessive actions.
Therefore, TSMC will face more serious problems and the danger has officially begun. Zhang Zhongmou's persistence may not be helpful. But for us, we can't actually stay out of the matter, because many of the data will involve Chinese companies. Therefore, we must also prepare for the future, make corresponding response preparations in advance, and continue to accelerate the construction of the domestic chip industry chain!
