A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan late Saturday night (December 27), with the epicenter in the eastern waters off Yilan. Hsinchu Science Park experienced a magnitude 4 intensity, prompting several semiconductor wafer plants to evacuate personnel. Global chip foundry giant TSMC stated that some of its facilities underwent emergency evacuation, with all workplace safety systems functioning normally across plants. Possible earthquake damages are still under assessment.
According to reports from United Daily News and Liberty Times, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Taiwan at 11:05 p.m. on Saturday, with a depth of 72.8 kilometers. The epicenter was 32.3 kilometers east of the Yilan County Government (located in Taiwan's eastern offshore area). Since Hsinchu and Taichung—key wafer manufacturing hubs—both registered a level 4 intensity, wafer plants activated emergency evacuation protocols for employee safety. This included TSMC, UMC, Vanguard International Semiconductor, Macronix, Winbond and other wafer plants, who were expected to evacuate workers from cleanrooms and, once the earthquake subsided, carry out machine movement inspections.
According to semiconductor equipment experts, given the seismic-resistance designs at these wafer plants, a level 4 quake often causes wafers inside production line furnaces to break due to equipment displacement, and machines will immediately proceed to a gradual shutdown. Therefore, equipment engineers must return to plants to check whether machines have shifted before resuming production.
TSMC indicated that a small number of its facilities at Hsinchu Science Park reached evacuation thresholds. Prioritizing personnel safety, it executed outdoor evacuation and headcounts according to emergency procedures. All plant safety systems continue to operate normally; any damages from the earthquake are still being assessed.
TSMC indicated that a small number of its facilities at Hsinchu Science Park reached evacuation thresholds. Prioritizing personnel safety, it executed outdoor evacuation and headcounts according to emergency procedures. All plant safety systems continue to operate normally; any damages from the earthquake are still being assessed.
Hsinchu Science Park Administration Deputy Director Yu Jingqiu said that all water and power supplies at the park are normal. However, elevators at Biotech Building and Third Biotech Building in Biomedical Park malfunctioned; vendors have been contacted for repairs. Companies at Yilan Park, Longtan Park and other locations have all conducted staff evacuations, but there are no reports of damages; some companies in Hsinchu Park also evacuated personnel.
One Hsinchu Science Park facilities manager noted that since the earthquake reached level 4 intensity, sensitive machines and equipment must be recalibrated, requiring some time before production can resume. Quite a few wafers on line were likely damaged by the quake, and full impact is still being checked.
One Hsinchu Science Park facilities manager noted that since the earthquake reached level 4 intensity, sensitive machines and equipment must be recalibrated, requiring some time before production can resume. Quite a few wafers on line were likely damaged by the quake, and full impact is still being checked.