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Chip industry kicks off its own climate programme - and Apple is a launch partner

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Chip industry kicks off its own climate programme - and Apple is a launch partner

It is yet another pledge in a crowded marketplace, but the first dedicated specifically to the chip industry

You may not have heard of Imec before, but it is one of the biggest names in the chip industry. Unlike Samsung or TSMC it's not a manufacturer, but as a nonprofit research organisation it works with them on semiconductor R&D in areas like AI, scaling and sustainable energy.

Sustainability is the focus of Imec's latest announcement: the launch of the Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) research programme: the first green-focused initiative specifically targeting the chip industry.

Imec says the SSTS will urge together stakeholders from across the chip supply chain to think about the environmental impact of choices made early on in product lifecycles (or 'at chip technology's definition phase').

Chips are in almost every product we use today, from computers to toothbrushes. Moore's Law means they are constantly growing smaller and/or more efficient, but production has not evolved at the same pace: the manufacturing process uses high amounts of energy and water, chemicals and rare materials - and produces relatively high amounts of greenhouse gases. Indeed, the majority of emissions associated with semiconductors, and indeed tech products in general, come from the chip manufacturing process.

That presents a challenge for firms seeking to cut their Scope 3 emissions. While many companies are aiming at net zero by 2030 - or sooner - most manufacturers are not transparent about the emissions associated with their products. That's where Imec thinks it can help.

"We have that data, and are ready to support the industry with all necessary insights, tools, instruments and numbers," says CEO Luc Van den hove.

"Moreover, companies realise they can only become carbon neutral if their whole supply chain follows suit. So, that is the snowball effect we want to create - together with Apple - today: I would like to call upon the whole semiconductor value chain not to stand at the side, but to act as one and to join forces with us to cut back the entire semiconductor industry's ecological footprint."

Apple is Imec's first launch partner with its new scheme. It will need more before it reaches critical mass and becomes widely accepted as a standard, but securing the iDevice maker is a good first step. Apple doesn't produce its own chips, but it designs and uses the most cutting-edge products. On top of that, it's one of the world's largest buyers of manufacturing capacity. You can be sure that when Apple speaks, IC vendors listen.

The SSTS programme has potential, but it's yet another climate initiative for tech companies to pay attention to. The industry is inundated with these at the moment: just a few examples are the Climate Neutral Data Center Pact, Race to Zero Campaign and Amazon's Climate Pledge. There's a very real risk that we enter a period of standards paralysis, where companies - their attention pulled in multiple directions - fail to adhere fully to any of them.

Chip industry kicks off its own climate programme - and Apple is a launch partner

It is yet another pledge in a crowded marketplace, but the first dedicated specifically to the chip industry

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