Apple’s Taiwanese key chip supplier TSMC was struck by a virus

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), the largest contract chipmaker worldwide and one of Apple’s key suppliers, has warned of a 150 million EURO hit to revenue and delays to shipments after its factories were hit with a computer virus targeting Windows computers.

TSMC, which supplies the majority of the processors for Apple’s iPads and iPhones (iPhone 8 and X), claims that parts of its production facilities in Taiwan were forced to resume production after the outbreak of a virus last Friday night.

The virus is a variation of WannaCry. The ransomware attack aimed at computers running Microsoft Windows and threatened to erase files unless the attackers were paid in the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

According to the company 80% of the company’s affected computers had been fixed on Sunday and neither its client information nor its data manufacturing base were implicated.
Since the manufacturer does not exclusively work for Apple, it also fabricates chips for lots of other companies which also have been notified. TSMC stated that it would have to delay shipments of chips to some customers. This would decrease their third quarter revenue up to 2% which is equivalent to 150 million EURO.