The Taiwanese home of Intel (INTC) engineer Wei-Jen Lo was raided by authorities in the country amid concerns he may have transferred national security-related technology from his prior employer, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Taiwanese prosecutors said on Thursday that the house was raided and evidence was seized, including at least one computer, the news outlet added. Assets held by Lo, including real estate and other assets, have also been frozen, according to a court order.
Lo previously worked at Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) and was brought to Intel by CEO Lip-Bu Tan. The 75-year-old Lo retired from Taiwan Semiconductor in July after serving more than 20 years with the company. He was most recently the senior vice president of corporate strategy development for Taiwan Semi. He was instrumental in developing some of TSMC’s advanced node technology.
Intel recently hired Lo as vice president of research and development.
Taiwan Semiconductor has allegedly started an internal investigation to determine if Lo took trade secrets regarding advanced node technology. However, Tan steadfastly rejected the allegations in an interview with Bloomberg. “It’s rumor and speculation,” Tan said. “There’s nothing to it. We respect IP.”
Taiwan Semiconductor has since sued Lo, alleging that he violated the non-compete clause and breached laws, including the Trade Secrets Act, by taking proprietary tech data related to advanced semiconductor processes before leaving the company.
In August, the Trump Administration took an $11.1B, or 10%, stake in Intel. Days later, Intel laid out several new risks associated with the stake, including the belief that other governments could be “unwilling to support the company.”
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