Infinitum Electric, creator of the sustainable, breakthrough air-core motor, announced findings of a sustainability poll conducted at SEMICON West 2022, North America’s exhibition and conference for the microelectronics supply chain.
Infinitum Electric’s survey
Infinitum Electric’s survey, whose respondents included business, facility operations, and technology leaders from across the microelectronics supply chain, found that: 80 percent believe sustainability is “extremely important” to their company.
70 percent believe that 'reducing energy consumption' to make semiconductor products can make the biggest impact for the environment. 80 percent also believe that 'reducing energy consumption' in semiconductor manufacturing is a sustainability initiative that can be achieved the fastest.
The semiconductor manufacturing industry
The semiconductor manufacturing industry has traditionally been highly energy-intensive. According to McKinsey, large semiconductor fabs can use as much as 100 MWh of power each hour, which is more than many automotive plants or oil refineries do.
Electricity can account for up to 30 percent of fab operating costs, so there is significant opportunity in rethinking power usage and management. Higher-efficiency motors with integrated variable speed drives used in vacuum and pumping applications, heating processes, fabrication lines, and clean rooms are one-way semiconductor manufacturers can significantly reduce energy usage.
Conventional electric motors
Conventional electric motors consume more than 50 percent of the world’s electricity
Conventional electric motors consume more than 50 percent of the world’s electricity. If an estimated 50 percent of semiconductor fab energy is dedicated to electric motors, then 50 MWh are consumed by motors each hour.
By replacing existing motors in a fab with motors that are 10 percent more efficient, each fab could save 5 MWh each hour, which is the equivalent of the electricity used by 1,650 homes. For all fabs producing 300 mm wafers, that equates to enough energy to power about 200,000 homes per year.
Authority comment
“As the industry works to reduce energy consumption to support sustainability goals and ESG initiatives, semiconductor manufacturers are finding that advanced, air-core motors can cut operating costs, while reducing carbon emissions,” said Bhavnesh Patel, vice president of business development, Infinitum Electric.
“Smaller, lighter, quieter, highly-efficient motors that leverage variable speed drives, can reduce energy usage in manufacturing and contribute to more efficient operations, while featuring lower cost and simpler set-up and maintenance.”
Reducing carbon footprint
During the SEMICON West 2022 conference, Infinitum Electric joined a dozen other innovators helping the semiconductor industry reduce its carbon footprint at the Startups for Sustainability Pavilion.
Infinitum Electric presented on how its next-generation motors are helping the semiconductor manufacturing industry make semiconductors more sustainably.
