TAIWAN Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) evacuated factories following a 6.4 magnitude earthquake near the city of Chiayi that injured at least four people and suspended work at factories across the island’s south.
Taiwan’s largest company moved workers out of some plants located in the island’s central and southern regions that met evacuation criteria, it said. United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) said it too cleared out factories, though it saw no significant losses. The company is inspecting facilities and evaluating the state of its chipmaking tools, UMC said.
Taiwan is the source of much of the world’s advanced semiconductors, where contract manufacturers such as TSMC fabricate chips for Nvidia, Apple and other global tech firms.
On Tuesday (Jan 21), the Southern Science Park initiated shutdowns for some facilities and evacuated the area, according to the Central News Agency. Operations in standard factory buildings have automatically ceased, the agency added.
The local Central Weather Administration recorded the earthquake, which struck southern Taiwan in the early hours of Tuesday. BLOOMBERG
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