After the vendor installed a software that did not scan for viruses on the company's computer network, a variant of WannaCry ransomware was invaded by TSMC's computer systems and factory tools from Friday to Monday. Virus-induced The machine crashes and restarts constantly.
Although TSMC said that the manufacturing business has fully recovered on Monday, this virus incident may cause damage to some of the company's most advanced equipment, which will be used to manufacture Apple's iPhone equipment that it plans to ship this year. A series of chips, Lee Cheng-hwa, senior industry analyst at the Taipei Market Intelligence Consulting Institute, said.
The accident occurred in the critical period of Apple. Last week, Apple's market value hit a record high of 1 trillion US dollars. The company is preparing for the release of the new iPhone, which is expected by the market next month.
According to previous reports, Apple is likely to launch three new iPhones, and upgrade the iPad and Apple Watch at the same time. All of these devices used to be chips manufactured by TSMC.
Given that TSMC's factories produce a large number of chips designed for the iPhone, Apple is one of the customers most likely to face delays in shipments, but it is not necessarily the most affected one, analysts said.
TSMC said that the virus incident will delay its chip shipment time until the end of September, but it is expected to be restored before the end of the year. During the infection of the production facility, the company had to close the virus-infected manufacturing tools and automated processing system, but it has been restored on Sunday. 80% of the facilities.
Apple did not immediately comment. A TSMC spokesman declined to provide more information than the company's official statement.
TSMC blamed the virus incident on an operational error in the installation of new software by an unnamed person. The company has separately notified customers about changes to the delivery this week.
John Brebeck, senior consultant at Quantum International Corp., a Taiwan-based investment consultancy, believes that some developers developing consumer electronics products are rushing, and they are waiting for TSMC to delay the chip for the longest time. .
Customers and investors are very concerned about the virus incidents in TSMC, because this is the first time such a chip manufacturer has such an accident.
Such a virus has never 'destroyed such an important company, so everyone is very concerned,' said Wu Hui-ling, a researcher at the China Institute of Economics in Taipei.
The same incident also indicates the significant disruption that such incidents can bring to the global electronics supply chain.
Qualcomm, a US chip manufacturing giant that develops processors for the Chinese smartphone brand, is also a client of TSMC.
TSMC is also seen as a leader in technology investment from time to time, because the company has a relatively transparent management system and leading chip manufacturing technology.
However, Bribeck of Broad International believes that TSMC will not be affected by the virus accident in general, because the company has a good reputation.