A major earthquake in Taiwan has reportedly disrupted production at its semiconductor factories, raising the possibility of repercussions within the tech sector.

The island plays a critical role in manufacturing advanced chips due to its longstanding investment in the field. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), in particular, is renowned for its advanced manufacturing processes, capable of producing chips with small transistors, essential for high performance and energy efficiency in today’s electronics.

Today I thought I was going to die in Taiwan earthquake. I ran down stairs from 24 floor, some walls breaking around me. And Taipei was light compared to East Taiwan 😢

I now believe that YOLO is 100% true 😂😂

Hope everyone is ok across our beautiful country 💜🇹🇼 pic.twitter.com/KcoM0of0GK

— Matt W (@helpfulmatt) April 3, 2024

However, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, the largest in the past 25 years, has already resulted in the deaths of seven people, with hundreds injured. Numerous buildings also collapsed, and the aftershocks have triggered landslides across the island’s east coast.

A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 just struck off Taiwan, not only halting the THSR trains but also causing sudden damage in many areas.

Hope everyone is safe! pic.twitter.com/nhdco0JabT

— 王定宇 Wang Ting-yu, MP (@MPWangTingyu) April 3, 2024

TSMC chip production suspended amid earthquake

TSMC, the world’s largest maker of advanced chips for customers like Apple Inc. and Nvidia Corp., evacuated staff and halted production due to the earthquake. In 2023, the company said it manufactured over 16 million 12-inch silicon w...