There was a computer virus stopping iPhone chip making attributes of the TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.) factories last night, August 3.
TSMC is in fact presently the only maker of iPhone’s processor chips. The company reported that various fabrication tools were infected by the virus. As of now, the problem has been taken care of, and some production works have been resumed. Yet, a few of its plants will not resume until tomorrow, August 5.
TSMC said that this virus wasn’t the result of any hacker’s work. It is the biggest contract manufacturer of chips, with clientele such as Qualcomm, alongside Apple. This was the first time that TSMC facilities were blocked from operations by a virus.
The firm is working on solutions and has revealed that the degree of infection differed across the factories. In a statement, it said that it can provide more information on the issue on Monday, August 6.
TSMC has been attacked by viruses before, but this is the first time a virus attack has affected our production lines. – CFO Lora
She didn’t reveal details on loss of revenue, and neither did she confirm whether the affected product lines involve iPhone chips.
The disruption reminds of the WannaCry cyberattacks in 2017 which affected companies from all around the world. They had to suspend their operations until things were resolved. World Economic Forum says that today’s rate of cybercrime may bring down a global loss of around $8 trillion in the next five years!
TSMC, just a few weeks ago had cheered investors envisioning high smartphone demand in the second half of the year, which played well to keep them hopeful looking ahead. CEO C. C. Wei said that sales will rise by a high single-digit percentage in terms of US$, based on the presently reduced 10% projection.
As for Apple, the tech giant has just made the big news of reaching $1 trillion valuation mark, it is the first ever publicly listed American company to achieve so. How does the mishap of TSMC affect the company? We are yet to receive any official word!
