(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has responded to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s request for supply chain information to help address the global chip shortage, while ensuring that no customer-specific information was disclosed in its submission, a company spokeswoman said on Sunday.
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TSMC remains committed to “protecting customers’ confidentiality as always,” spokeswoman Nina Kao said in an email to Bloomberg News.
The Commerce Department in September asked companies in the semiconductor supply chain to fill out questionnaires by Nov. 8 seeking information pertaining to the ongoing chip shortage. While the request is voluntary, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo warned industry representatives that the White House might invoke the Defense Production Act or other tools to force their hands if they don’t respond.
Washington’s request sparked controversies in both Taiwan and South Korea, with some fearing the U.S. is demanding that companies hand over trade secrets. There have also been concerns in China that the U.S. could use materials provided by TSMC and others to sanction Chinese companies.
In the questionnaire, chipmakers were asked to comment on inventories, backlogs, delivery time, procurement practices and what they were doing to increase output. The Commerce Department also requested information on each product’s top customers.
Earlier Sunday, South Korea’s finance ministry said local technology firms will provide some semiconductor data to the U.S. Local reports have said South Korean firms would only “partially comply” with the information request.
TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics are the world’s two largest contract chipmakers that service a wide range of companies including automakers.
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