Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the maker of most of the world’s cutting edge computer chips, told Taiwanese prosecutors of its suspicions that some current and former employees had been involved in stealing its trade secrets, the company said on Tuesday. “TSMC recently detected unauthorized activities during routine monitoring, leading to the discovery of potential trade secret leaks,” said Nina Kao, a spokeswoman for the company. The company has taken disciplinary action against the people involved, Ms. Kao said. The case is being investigated by the intellectual property branch of the Office of the High Prosecutor in Taiwan. Nieh Chung, a prosecutor at the branch, said that three people had been detained. Three others had been called in and then released, he added. The possible leak of company secrets comes at a tense time between Taiwan and the United States as officials in Washington weigh tariffs on semiconductors, Taiwan’s main export, on top of the 20 percent tariffs announced last week on the island’s other exports to the United States. TSMC makes chips for tech giants like Nvidia and Apple.

Full report : Taiwan government says it has detained three employees on suspicion they obtained the Taiwanese chip giant’s “core technology trade secrets.”