Tokyo Electron (TEL), one of TSMC’s most trusted long-term partners and a company that has often been recognized for its contributions, was noticeably missing from TSMC’s 2025 Excellent Performance Awards roster. For industry watchers, that absence stands out—especially given TEL’s history of regularly earning accolades from the world’s leading contract chipmaker.
The most likely reason ties back to a high-profile situation that emerged in early July 2025, when reports surfaced about an alleged leak involving TSMC’s next-generation 2nm process technology. While the award list itself doesn’t spell out why any company is excluded, the timing has fueled speculation that the incident may have impacted TEL’s standing in the annual evaluation.
TSMC’s awards program is closely watched because it reflects the strength and reliability of its supplier ecosystem. These recognitions typically highlight exceptional performance in areas such as delivery, quality, technology support, and overall partnership value—factors that become even more critical as TSMC ramps up cutting-edge nodes like 2nm, where security, confidentiality, and process integrity are paramount.
With 2nm widely expected to play a major role in future flagship chips—from smartphones and PCs to data center processors—any concern over confidential technology handling could carry serious consequences. That’s why TEL’s absence from the 2025 awards list has drawn attention across the semiconductor world, raising questions about how supplier relationships may shift as TSMC pushes deeper into advanced manufacturing.
For now, the situation underscores a broader reality in the chip industry: as manufacturing technology becomes more advanced and more valuable, trust and information security can be just as important as engineering excellence.
