TEL's $240M Volume Drops 32% to 480th in Liquidity Amid TSMC Trade Secret Case

On August 7, 2025, Tokyo Electron (TEL) traded with a 0.06% decline, closing with a daily trading volume of $0.24 billion, a 32.24% drop from the previous day. The stock ranked 480th in market liquidity among listed equities.

Tokyo Electron has terminated an employee at its Taiwan subsidiary following a probe into alleged trade secret leaks involving TSMC’s 2-nanometer chip technology. The company confirmed internal investigations found no evidence of external data exposure but emphasized strict adherence to legal and ethical standards. Taiwanese authorities have detained six individuals, including a former TSMC employee and a current TEL staff member previously employed at TSMC, under the National Security Act. The case marks the first prosecution under revised 2022 legislation targeting national core technology breaches.

Industry analysts suggest the incident may not represent a systemic IP threat. TSMC’s detained engineer, reportedly a low-level factory worker, likely shared non-sensitive operational data rather than proprietary R&D information. Tokyo Electron, a key supplier of chipmaking equipment to TSMC, maintains no confidential data was compromised. The firm’s cooperation with authorities underscores its reliance on maintaining trust with major clients like TSMC, which dominates global semiconductor production.

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