Apple chip supplier TSMC reports gas contamination at the key chip plant

Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (2330.TW) said on Friday that some of its production lines in southern Taiwan were hit by a contamination of gases used in the chipmaking process.

TSMC does not expect the incident to have significant impact on operations, it said in an emailed statement to Reuters.

Nikkei, which first reported the news, said the company's most advanced chipmaking facility, Fab 18, was hit. It added that all of the latest processors for the upcoming iPhones and Mac computers were produced there.

"To ensure that there will be no issues with production quality, TSMC is currently carrying out stringent follow-up operations," the company added.

Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.