Apple Joins a New Program to Evaluate Environmental Impact of Chip Design and Manufacture | Cutting Back on Ecological Footprint

Urian B., Tech Times 28 October 2021, 09:10 am

Apple is now joining a new program that aims to evaluate the total environmental impact of chip design and manufacturing. The goal is to help cut back on the whole ecological footprint when designing and manufacturing high-demand, much-needed chips.

Apple's Effort to Cut Back on Ecological Footprint

According to the story by Apple Insider, the company has just joined a program that intends to evaluate the environmental impact of chip design and manufacturing. This is in an effort to be able to further cut back on its own ecological footprint.

Research hub imec has reportedly announced that Apple has actually joined its program called the Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems or SSTS. The firm notes that close to 75% of an iPhone or other mobile device's total carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed directly to chip fabrication.

Carbon Neutral Companies

Luc Van der hove, imec CEO, noted that a lot of systems companies are currently carbon neutral for their own corporate footprints and have also expressed their ambition to be able to have their whole carbon footprint net to zero by the year 2030. It was stated that they are very committed to achieving this specific goal but still lack the data to be able to decipher the whole IC part end-to-end.

It was stated that this is where imec comes into the picture. They have the data and are also ready to support the industry with tools, insights, instruments, and numbers. Microsoft is also planning to save 5.7 billion liters of water a year while moving towards a greener initiative.

imec's SSTS Program

As per imec, the SSTS program now spans the whole range of chip manufacture from the initial plotting out up to the final fabrication and integration. It reportedly combines design choices and fabrication technology while incorporating not just the modeling of carbon emissions but also the analyses of every step of the way.

Apple has currently set a goal for 2030 for its whole operations, which includes its suppliers. In September 2021, a report started circulating that chip manufacturer TSMC might hold up that particular goal. This is with Apple's main chip supplier noting that it would be able to do so by the year 2050.

Apple Joining imec's Program

Apple now appears to want to speed the process up, as seen through its joining of imec's program. The CEO of imec added that companies realize that they can finally become carbon neutral if their whole supply chain decides to follow suit. It was then described as a snowball effect that the company wanted to create along with Apple.

The CEO then noted that they would like to call upon the entire semiconductor value chain to stand at the side finally and now act as one and all join forces with them. This is in order for everyone to cut back the whole semiconductor industry's total ecological footprint. In the EV industry, aside from Tesla, General Motors is planning to put up 40,000 EV charging stations in the United States to help move the industry towards a greener initiative.

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Written by Urian B.