The semiconductor industry is inevitably affected by the powerful earthquake which occurred early this morning.
At 7:58 a.m. local time, an earthquake struck Taiwan. With a magnitude greater than 7 (7.2, 7.4 or 7.5 depending on the sources), it is the most powerful earthquake the island has experienced in 25 years.
Provisional, the human toll shows 9 deaths and more than 900 injured while the material toll still seems impossible to estimate. Necessarily more trivial, the industrial balance sheet should not be neglected despite everything.
Industries at a standstill
Indeed, while relief efforts were quickly organized across the island, many companies were forced to evacuate their staff, effectively interrupting their activities.
Our colleagues from TechPowerUp thus relay several Taiwan media which point out that key companies such as TSMC, UMC, PSMC or Innolux have all stopped their production lines at the Hsinchu Science Park, although located on the west coast.
Remember that the epicenter of the earthquake is on the other side of the island, near the city of Hualien, by far the most affected. That said, Taiwan is a small country of 36,000 square kilometers.
Multiple checks before resuming
Local media also specify that the production sites were at first glance not affected by the earthquake and that the evacuation of staff is a “preventive measure”.
Please be aware, however, that given the power of the earthquake, all sensitive industries will need to be checked and rechecked before production can resume. We have no details as to the duration of this interruption of activities. The Innolux company, however, clarified that its infrastructure in Kaohsiung, in the south of the island, was not affected.
Manufacturers are taking all precautions due to the possibility of multiple aftershocks and the possibility – always to be feared – of several other large earthquakes in the coming days. Finally, remember that even a brief interruption in production can quickly disrupt the entire supply chain. To be checked in the coming days…
Source : TechPowerUp
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