QXIC, HSMC have each hired more than 50 veteran, former TSMC employees

Taiwan News
Date: 2020/08/12
By: Eric Chang, Taiwan News, Contributing Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two Chinese government-supported chip manufacturers have hired more than 100 experienced engineers and managers from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) since last year.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Quanxin Integrated Circuit Manufacturing (QXIC) and Hongxin Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (HSMC) have each hired more than 50 former TSMC employees, while both are also led by ex-TSMC executives. The two companies are looking to produce 14-nanometer and 12-nanometer chips.

HSMC was founded in 2017, while QXIC began in 2019 as part of Beijing’s push to become less reliant on foreign suppliers, especially as tensions between the U.S. and China have rapidly deteriorated.

TSMC has been the most high-profile target for Chinese chip companies looking to secure talent, sources told Nikkei. The Taiwanese company is a major supplier to the world’s biggest tech companies, including Apple, Qualcomm, Google, and Huawei, although due to U.S. sanctions, it will no longer be supplying chips to Huawei after Sept. 15.    [FULL  STORY]