Design & Reuse

SEMI Semiconductor Climate Consortium and BCG Issue First Insider Report of Semiconductor Value Chain's Carbon Emissions

MILPITAS, Calif. – September 20, 2023 – The SEMI Semiconductor Climate Consortium (SCC) today issued its first report of the semiconductor ecosystem's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions profile, an in-depth analysis of the semiconductor value chain's carbon footprint and priority-ranked carbon emission sources for the industry to address.

www.semi.org/en, Sept. 20, 2023 – 

Titled Transparency, Ambition, and Collaboration: Advancing the Climate Agenda of the Semiconductor Value Chain, the report provides the most comprehensive sustainability data available on the semiconductor ecosystem. Key takeaways from the report compiled by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), under the direction of the SCC Baselining, Ambition-Setting and Roadmapping (BAR) Working Group, include:

  • Baseline of value chain emissions: Semiconductor devices produced in 2021 have a lifetime CO2e footprint of 500 megatonne (MT) – 16% from supply chain, 21% from manufacturing, and 63% from device use.
  • Low-carbon energy is a key lever: Bold and decisive investments in low-carbon energy sources can address more than 80% of industry emissions primarily by reducing the carbon footprint stemming from electricity usage for semiconductor manufacturing and for powering chips in electronics devices.
  • Investment and innovation to solve remaining 16%: Emissions from the supply chain and from manufacturing process gases will require considerable research and development to address, necessitating investments now.
  • Future manufacturing emissions scenarios: Current government and company commitments will substantially reduce manufacturing emissions, but they are still forecasted to overshoot the carbon budget for the 1.5°C pathway.
  • Dilemma of value chain emissions: Digital technologies that require semiconductors play a crucial role in reducing energy use and emissions across industries while simultaneously adding to the overall carbon footprint.

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