Late night on the 27th, Taiwan experienced a magnitude 7.0 strong earthquake, with the Zhuke area turning red. TSMC: Semiconductor production line damage assessment is underway.

A magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurred in the eastern waters of Taiwan last night (27th), with many parts of Taiwan experiencing noticeable tremors. After the earthquake, abnormal crowds and traffic immediately appeared around Hsinchu Science Park. Google Maps showed that roads around the park quickly became congested, and real-time traffic conditions also revealed large numbers of people and vehicles moving toward the park, drawing attention. Shortly after the quake, many tech companies in Hsinchu Science Park activated emergency response mechanisms, with numerous engineers rushing back to the factories late at night to monitor the machinery, causing a rapid increase in traffic around the area.

“Monitoring machinery” refers to the process where, after sudden events like earthquakes, engineers must immediately enter production lines or server rooms to verify whether semiconductor processing equipment, key manufacturing machines, and automation systems are functioning normally. They may need to shut down, restart, or troubleshoot abnormal conditions as needed to prevent equipment damage, process interruption, or greater losses. TSMC responded: currently, all factories are conducting detailed inspections and calibrations to assess whether there has been any minor wafer loss on the semiconductor lines.

Taiwan’s magnitude 7.0 earthquake on the night of the 27th

According to the Central Weather Bureau’s Report No. 156 on Significant Felt Earthquakes, the earthquake occurred at 23:05:55 on December 27, 2025. The epicenter was located at 24.69°N, 122.08°E, approximately 32.3 km east of Yilan County Government, in the eastern waters of Taiwan. The earthquake depth was 72.8 km, with a Richter scale magnitude of 7.0.

Currently, reports indicate that tiles have fallen from the overpass in front of Danfeng High School in Xinzhuang, New Taipei City, and the ceiling at Taoyuan Airport has collapsed.

After the earthquake, a surge of vehicles flooded into Hsinchu Science Park, with engineers returning late at night to monitor machinery

Shortly after the earthquake, many tech companies in Hsinchu Science Park activated emergency response mechanisms, with numerous engineers rushing back to the factories late at night to “monitor machinery,” causing traffic around the park to rise rapidly. “Monitoring machinery” refers to the process where, after sudden events like earthquakes, engineers must immediately enter production lines or server rooms to verify whether semiconductor processing equipment, key manufacturing machines, and automation systems are functioning normally. They may need to shut down, restart, or troubleshoot abnormal conditions to prevent equipment damage, process interruption, or greater losses.

Semiconductor production lines are extremely sensitive to vibrations. Especially for high-end process equipment, any displacement, misalignment, or unexpected shutdown can incur very high repair costs and time. Therefore, even during late-night hours, relevant engineers and maintenance personnel must promptly arrive to confirm conditions, ensuring the safety and stability of the production lines.

TSMC stated that the safety systems, power and water supplies, and seismic monitoring equipment at all factories are operating normally, with no reports of fires or major damages. Although personnel temporarily evacuated, precision machinery generally has automatic protection mechanisms. Currently, all factories are conducting detailed inspections and calibrations to assess whether there has been any minor wafer loss on the semiconductor lines.

Financial influencer Shan Jia Lang posted real-time traffic conditions around Hsinchu Science Park after the earthquake, saying: “Thank you all, and a salute to the on-call TSMC heroes, protectors of the homeland.”

This article about the magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Taiwan on the night of the 27th, with heavy traffic around Hsinchu Science Park and TSMC assessing semiconductor line damage, first appeared on Chain News ABMedia.