Share TSMC factories temporarily shut down due to virus

TSMC, the Taiwanese chipmaker that makes hardware for Apple, AMD and Qualcomm, among others, is struggling with a virus in part of its manufacturing tools. Production has been temporarily halted in several factories and the virus is said to have been isolated by now.

The infection happened on Friday, according to Bloomberg, but is not alleged to have been brought in by a hacker, TSMC said. How it happened is currently unknown. There are also no details about the virus. The company, which is the largest independent chip manufacturer in the world, expects to have all systems back online by Sunday.

TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, says it’s the very first time their work has been halted by a virus. A spokesperson does not want to say which production lines have been temporarily shut down or how much turnover they miss during the recovery. The chipmaker is said to have increased its production for the latest batch of iPhones, which are expected to hit the market in September.