A Taiwanese court sentenced former Tokyo Electron engineer Chen Li-ming to 10 years in prison. He was convicted of stealing proprietary data from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC).
Taiwan's Intellectual Property and Commercial Court delivered the ruling on Monday. Authorities prosecuted the landmark industrial espionage case under the National Security Act.
Chen stole trade secrets involving TSMC's advanced 2-nanometer manufacturing process. He intended to use the data to help Tokyo Electron secure more business with the chipmaker.
The significant sentence underscores Taiwan's commitment to protecting its strategically vital semiconductor industry.