Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, did not confirm Thursday whether it would respond to a voluntary request for information issued by the United States government, saying only that it would take no action that harms the interests of its clients.

The United States government held a meeting with semiconductor companies, including TSMC, Samsung Electronics and Intel, on the progress the industry is making to address issues in the semiconductor supply chain on Sept. 23, and launched a "Request for Information" (RFI) on the subject the same day.

The RFI asks companies involved in the semiconductor supply chain to "voluntarily share information about inventories, demand, and delivery dynamics." Its goal is to "understand and quantify where bottlenecks may exist," according to a statement published on the Commerce Department's website.

The information the department is seeking from semiconductor companies includes: the companies' top three clients, the types of products they produce, inventory, order backlogs, production capacity, and annual sales numbers.

South Korean media outlets, including Korea Economic Daily, have reported that although the request is voluntary, the U.S. could force semiconductor companies to hand over their data if necessary.

The newspaper said South Korean firms were concerned that if they do submit information to the U.S. government, it could be leaked to their U.S. competitors.

In response to the reports, TSMC said Thursday that it would "not harm the interests of its clients and shareholders."

The company did not say whether it would respond to the RFI by the U.S. government's deadline of Nov. 8.

Kung Ming-hsin (???), who heads the National Development Council, TSMC's largest shareholder, told legislators on Thursday that the council has contacted TSMC on the issue.

TSMC said that it would not reveal any confidential information on any specific client, Kung noted.

The RFI is not targeted at Taiwanese companies or TSMC, but rather seeks information from a broad range of companies, and there is room to maneuver in answering the questions, according to the council.

In a separate statement, Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs said that Taiwan understands and respects U.S. commercial laws and regulations.

The ministry maintains good communication with domestic semiconductor companies and will provide support if the firms face unreasonable requests internationally, it said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel