A former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) engineer has been charged with stealing secrets from the pure-play foundry.

Former TSMC engineer, Hsu is accused of stealing proprietary information and other materials related to the foundry's 28nm process technology and passing them to China-based Shanghai Huali Microelectronics (HLMC), according to the Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office reports digitimes:

Hsu had accepted a job offer at Shanghai Huali Microelectronics (HLMC), but was arrested before starting the new job in Shanghai. A report earlier in 2017 cited industry sources saying HLMC had headhunted a team of nearly 50 United Microelectronics (UMC) R&D engineers to help the China-based foundry move its 28nm process technology to mass production as early as possible. Various reports also cited unspecified sources indicating China-based memory chipmakers have been aggressively headhunting talent from Taiwan-based DRAM and fabless companies.

US-based Micron Technology has reportedly taken legal actions against former employees at its Taiwan-based subsidiaries Inotera Memories and Rexchip Electronics, who allegedly stole the company's trade secrets and technologies to help China-based firms develop key DRAM technologies.

Former TSMC engineer indicted for trade secrets theft