TSMC forced to evacuate following 7.4 earthquake in Taiwan

A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake has struck just off the coast of Taiwan, resulting in tsunami warnings being issued for Japan.

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The earthquake struck off the east coast of Taiwan, approximately 100 kilometers from Taiwan's capital, Taipei, which has triggered nearly 3m-high waves in some areas 1,000 miles south of Tokyo within the Okinawa prefecture. Social media videos show buildings collapsing, massive dust clouds, and widespread damage throughout the affected region. Notably, Taiwanese officials pegged the earthquake at a 7.2 magnitude, while the US Geological Survey stated it was a 7.4.

Now, reports indicate that some of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's fabrication plants have been forced to halt chipmaking, with staff being told to evacuate the premises due to safety concerns. Bloomberg has reported that some machinery within these fabs have been switched off following the earthquake, and at the moment, it remains unclear if this pause in production will impact the global chip market timelines for product releases.

Reports also suggest that Hualien City, the part of Taiwan closest to the earthquake has suffered significant damage to buildings, with internet outages also being reported in downtown Taipei.

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