Supplement: Semiconductors
be ready to offer low-carbon services to stand out from their competitors.
Three steps for resilience and sustainability
Determining an environmental baseline is a ‘must’ when decarbonizing the chip industry. Schneider Electric has identified three critical measures that can assist semiconductor organisations of all sizes in putting their sustainable, net- zero objectives into action. The first step, called ‘Strategise’, involves measuring a manufacturer’s current energy performance and carbon footprint, and then crafting a net-zero plan that delivers tangible results. In practice, this includes determining a carbon emission baseline, reviewing digital technology to identify gaps and inform the roadmap going forward, assessing technical and economic feasibility to prioritise actions, and modelling building retrofit scenarios to develop a roadmap and timeline. The use of electrical digital twins when designing and simulating new FABS power systems in particular will improve their designs and optimise the network to meet local requirements and standards.
The second step is ‘Digitise’. This means creating a digital hub that can monitor and visualise a semiconductor organisation's energy and resource usage, enabling leaders to make data-driven sustainability decisions and report on progress towards set goals. This single source of truth helps to track embodied carbon, including building information modelling, and measure energy and carbon, including centralising energy supply and utility data and implementing cloud-based, AI-powered analysis.
Finally, the third step is ‘Decarbonise’. This is where the true action takes place, in which semiconductor manufacturers must leverage insights from their Strategise and Decarbonise steps to make genuine sustainability improvements. Exact upgrades will depend on their fi ndings, but examples include the electrifi cation of fl eet vehicles, the installation of renewable energy generators, the purchase of low or no-carbon products, and the use of AI to optimise on- site energy consumption in real-time.
Collaborating with trusted advisors and partners Alongside the three-step Strategise, Digitise, Decarbonise process, collaboration and partnerships are pivotal to achieving sustainability success in the semiconductor industry. With long-term sustainability requiring disparate areas of specialisation and support,
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manufacturers must realise that no single company can accomplish it alone. Instead, semiconductor producers and vendors must work together and leverage external expertise and technology.
Schneider Electric has long been instrumental in assisting semiconductor companies in addressing sustainability and decarbonisation challenges. For example, last year, Schneider Electric teamed up with Intel, one of the world’s premier semiconductor design and production businesses, and Applied Materials, Inc., the world’s largest semiconductor and display equipment company, to launch Catalyze: a new partnership program aimed at accelerating access to renewable energy across the global semiconductor value chain.
With the support of the Catalyze program, semiconductor leaders will be able to achieve a number of sustainability and resilience objectives, including: Combine energy purchasing power across the semiconductor value chain to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy projects
Participate in the market for utility-scale power purchase agreements (PPAs)
Develop operational models to be used in supply chain programs to close net-zero ambition gaps
Increase awareness of the availability of renewable energy in specific global regions where the semiconductor value chain is operational
Lead the way for the industry to drive definitive next steps
Unlocking sustainable power in semiconductor production Ultimately, embracing sustainability measures not only aligns with global environmental objectives, but also makes strong business sense for semiconductor fabrication plants. Studies indicate that implementing sustainability strategies can reduce costs and positively impact operating profit by up to 60 per cent (McKinsey). Moreover, adopting sustainability practices mitigates long-term risks and opens up opportunities in new markets. As we emerge from the semiconductor crisis, manufacturers now have enormous prospects for growth through long-term improvements. They can unlock vast, untapped energy effi ciency potential while also providing signifi cant savings. The best part? The means for doing so are there in front of us. Alongside key strategic partners, organisations must strategise, digitise, and decarbonise now.
https://www.se.com/uk/en/ Components in Electronics May 2024 43
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