A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan, raising concerns about TSMC’s earthquake risk. However, reports indicate that TSMC has suffered minimal damage so far.
According to the Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan, the earthquake occurred around 5 PM, approximately 9.0 kilometers underwater, 38.3 kilometers southeast of the government building in Yilan County, northeast Taiwan. At 5:07 PM, a minute later, another earthquake with a magnitude of 4.5 was recorded in the waters 37.8 kilometers southeast of the same government building. Afterward, aftershocks with magnitudes 4.3 and 4.7 occurred at 5:22 PM and 5:33 PM.
According to local media in Taiwan, most areas experienced significant shaking from the earthquake, but no casualties have been reported.
TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor foundry, reported that the earthquake did not reach the level requiring employee evacuations and is not expected to impact operations. Similarly, United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), Taiwan’s second-largest foundry, operates normally.
Meanwhile, the earthquake prompted a “national-level alert” for the metropolitan areas of Taipei City, New Taipei City, and the eastern counties of Yilan and Hualien.
The Taipei Metro (MRT) reduced its speed, while the New Taipei MRT temporarily halted operations of its MRT, circular line, and light rail services for safety inspections.
The Central Weather Bureau of Taiwan cautioned about the possibility of aftershocks with a magnitude of 4 or higher within the next week.
