Reuters
A computer virus forced one of the world’s biggest chip makers, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., to shut down several factories over the weekend, and could cost it $255 million in lost revenue.
TSMC is the world’s biggest contract chip manufacturer for companies such as Apple Inc. AAPL, +0.29% and Qualcomm Inc. QCOM, +0.97% , and it is the sole manufacturer of the iPhone’s main processor, although it was not immediately clear if iPhone components were affected.
The virus, which affected fabrication equipment, forced a number of factories to pause operations Friday. By Sunday, 80% of the equipment was back online, the Financial Times reported, with the rest expected to be ready Monday.
Because of the shutdown, the company faces a 3% revenue hit this quarter, the Financial Times reported, and shipments will likely be delayed.
It was unclear how the virus was introduced, but TSMC told Bloomberg News on Saturday that it was not by a hacker.
“This virus outbreak occurred due to misoperation during the software installation process for a new tool, which caused a virus to spread once the tool was connected to the company’s computer network,” the company said in a statement Sunday.
TSMC said the virus had been contained, and production had resumed at most of its factories.
Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor 2330, -0.61% are up 7.6% this year on Taiwan’s Taiex. Its American depository receipts TSM, +0.34% are up 5.1% year to date, compared to the S&P 500’s SPX, +0.46% 6.2% gain.
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