An employee at Apple chipmaker TSMC, the company which produces the A-series chips for iPhones and iPads, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The company made the admission in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) Thursday. It said that it is requesting the 30 employees who made contact with the patient to self-isolate at home for 14 days.
TSMC has revealed some of the details of its anti-coronavirus strategy. It is carrying out “enhanced disinfection” of office areas. TSMC requires all employees in Taiwan to wear masks in common areas and in meetings or training. Finally, to avoid the spread of coronavirus in its factories, TSMC is operating its foundry house in segregated teams. This means that teams will not come into contact with one another, greatly reducing the risk of contagion.
TSMC said that it doesn’t expect the coronavirus incident to affect its operations. It noted that it has “stricter standards than government health agencies” when it comes to monitoring for coronavirus.
As with many international conferences, it has postponed its 2020 worldwide technology symposium. The event will now be held in late summer.
TSMC is gearing up to build Apple’s next A-series chips
A report published earlier this month said that TSMC is currently gearing up to start volume production of chips built using its next-gen 5-nanometer process.
While it didn’t name who the client was, the report noted that the process capacity has already been “fully booked” up. The A-series chips in Apple’s late 2020 iPhones will reportedly take advantage of TSMC’s 5nm production process.
TSMC isn’t the only Apple supplier to be hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Companies such as Foxconn have also had to take special precautions. In February, SK Hynix, the world’s second largest memory chipmaker, which counts Apple as one of its biggest clients, sent 800 workers home amidst coronavirus fears.
Apple has also had a small number of confirmed cases among employees. Tim Cook has advised Apple employees to work from home where possible.
Source: TSMC
