What the Chips Act doesn’t say: The environmental challenge of producing semiconductors

[Daniel Nenni]

This article is part of our special report Chips Act unveiled: The (real) cost of making semiconductors.
The dire environmental cost of semiconductor manufacturing, which is getting more problematic with every new generation of microchips, has been largely overlooked in the European Commission’s semiconductor package.

The Chips Act, presented earlier this month, is part of an overall effort towards digital sovereignty, as the Commission strives to make Europe an independent technological power. Nevertheless, the proposal failed to address how this initiative will reconcile with the EU’s other top priority, the green transition.

“Digital technologies, both when manufactured and used, have their own environmental footprint, including from the release of fluorinated greenhouse gases during manufacturing to their significant energy consumption for their production and during their use,” the Chips Act reads.

What the Chips Act doesn’t say: The environmental challenge of producing semiconductors | Euractiv

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[Xebec]

For the estimates of greenhouse / CO2 put out by manufacturing (in this article) are they including the "dirtiness" of the energy sources powering the plants?.. or is it all from something physical that happens in the manufacturing processes themselves?

I ask as the energy grid *is" constantly getting cleaner in both the EU and USA (and I would assume Taiwan and Korea as well)..

 

[hist78]

This article is part of our special report Chips Act unveiled: The (real) cost of making semiconductors.
The dire environmental cost of semiconductor manufacturing, which is getting more problematic with every new generation of microchips, has been largely overlooked in the European Commission’s semiconductor package.

The Chips Act, presented earlier this month, is part of an overall effort towards digital sovereignty, as the Commission strives to make Europe an independent technological power. Nevertheless, the proposal failed to address how this initiative will reconcile with the EU’s other top priority, the green transition.

“Digital technologies, both when manufactured and used, have their own environmental footprint, including from the release of fluorinated greenhouse gases during manufacturing to their significant energy consumption for their production and during their use,” the Chips Act reads.

What the Chips Act doesn’t say: The environmental challenge of producing semiconductors | Euractiv

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www.euractiv.com

I have to say the author has some flawed analysis. For example:

"TSCM emitted 15 million tons of CO2 equivalents in 2020, almost doubling its emission from the previous year. The world’s second producer, Samsung, emitted nearly 13 million tons of greenhouse gases in the same year.

In contrast, third-ranking chip manufacturer Intel has slashed its carbon footprint by 18% since 2000 and restored 90% of the water usage in 2020 despite growing production. Although increasingly based on renewables, production remains energy-intensive.

Intel is due to open a new factory in Europe, for which it commits to 100% renewable energy, net positive water use, and zero waste to landfills."

The author used "tons" in measuring TSMC's and Samsung's CO2 emissions but revealed nothing about the quantity of CO2 emissions that Intel produced. In stead the author only said:

"In contrast, third-ranking chip manufacturer Intel has slashed its carbon footprint by 18% since 2000 and restored 90% of the water usage in 2020 despite growing production."

So the author is using TSMC and Samsung's 2020 CO2 emission quantity to compare with Intel's CO2 reduction percentage (without the actual quantity) for a different time period (since 2000). Strangely, the author also inserted Intel's water recycling performance into this CO2 reduction comparison. TSMC and Samsung have their own water recycling program too which the author was unable to do a simple Google search.

The author didn't try to analyze the difference among these three manufacturers' size of output, types of the products, and the long term impact from the usage of their products.

I believe Intel makes much less chips than either Samsung or TSMC does. Does that make Intel greener than Samsung or TSMC?

I used to work with the power thirsty PC whole day and whole week for my business and personal functions. Now a lot of those jobs are done on my smartphone powered by a little battery and recharged once a day. A true analysis needs to look into all those many variables.

 

[benb]

”Fluorinated” is the key word in the article. It’s a trigger word, like chlorinated. The chlorinated chicken imports from the US are a concern among European food safety. An attempt to link food manias with semiconductor chips.

 

[Brady]

”Fluorinated” is the key word in the article. It’s a trigger word, like chlorinated. The chlorinated chicken imports from the US are a concern among European food safety. An attempt to link food manias with semiconductor chips.

It refers to Hydrofluorocarbon, and I doubt it's trying to "link food manias with semiconductor chips". That being said, they are in fact a very bad form of emissions (as noted in the link).

 

[Daniel Nenni]

TSMC Continues to Drive Green Innovations for Advanced Process Tools, Aiming to Save 28 Million Tons of Pure Water and 1.1 Billion kWh of Electricity by 2030

TSMC Continues to Drive Green Innovations for Advanced Process Tools, Aiming to Save 28 Million Tons of Pure Water and 1.1 Billion kWh of Electricity by 2030​

Two Major Strategies and Six Action Plans are Now Included in the Standard Equipment Purchase Specifications

With the rapid evolution of semiconductor process technology, TSMC continues to focus on innovative ways to improve energy and resource efficiency. In addition to working with suppliers to develop a “water saving control system” for FOUP cleaning tools, TSMC implemented “Tool Parameter Optimization” and "New Technology Integration" strategies to continue exploring the water and power saving opportunities for advanced process tools. As of February 2022 TSMC has successfully implemented six action plans into the controlled wafer cleaning and production machines at the 12-inch wafer GIGAFAB® facilities in Taiwan, effectively saving 10.47 million tons of pure water and 111.9 million kWh of electricity, aiming to save 28 million tons of pure water and 1.1 billion kWh of electricity by 2030.

Two Major Strategies and Six Action Plans to Improve Energy Efficiency​

Facing increasingly complex process of advanced technologies, TSMC’s Intelligent Engineering Center has established a cross-organizational team to review comprehensively the water consumption of advanced process tools in 2021 and found that the water used by wet process tools accounted for more than 70% of the total consumption. Thereafter, the team further analyzed the water consumption and discharge model of the tools and developed six action plans following the two major strategies of "Tool Parameter Optimization" and "New Technology Integration" to improve energy and resource efficiency and achieve the goals of sustainable development.

TSMC's Advanced Process Equipment Water and Energy Saving Action Plan​

TSMC is committed to practicing green manufacturing and continues to develop action plans to reduce water and power used in semiconductor process tools to improve energy efficiency.
- Chen-Bin Lin, Director of Intelligent Engineering Center at TSMC

Add Green Actions in the Standard Equipment Purchase Specifications to Generate Further Benefits​

TSMC continues to expand the scope of water and power saving action plans and expects to gradually implement those action plans into the production tools at the 12-inch wafer GIGAFAB® facilities in Taiwan by the second quarter of 2022. The two major strategies will be included in the advanced process tools purchase specifications, making sure the related design verification and component installation to be completed before new machine move in. Aiming to save 28 million tons of water and 1.13 billion kWh of electricity by 2030, TSMC will continue to implement green actions to achieve the goal of maximizing energy and resource efficiency.