The French technology company Schneider Electric this week said that Google, ASM, and HP have joined its initiative to encourage businesses in the semiconductor supply chain to use renewable energy sources.
Schneider launched the “Catalyze” program for semiconductor supply chain decarbonization in July, with sponsors Intel and Applied Materials. The announcement that three more technology companies have now joined as founding sponsors coincides with the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Dubai.
Catalyze encourages suppliers from throughout the semiconductor industry ecosystem to collaborate to transition their value chain to renewable sources of energy. Participants are encouraged to make commitments to decarbonization and take collective action through the procurement of renewable energy, leveraging the purchasing power of buyer cohorts.
According to a recent study by the SEMI Semiconductor Climate Consortium, the semiconductor industry’s carbon footprint was equivalent to 500Mt of CO2 in 2021—with 16% coming from the supply chain, the company said. By transitioning suppliers onto lower-carbon sources of energy and supporting them in other decarbonization actions like electrification, the industry can make a significant impact in its overall Scope 3 emissions.
“Transitioning to carbon-free semiconductor manufacturing is critical to reducing global emissions, and no company can do it alone,” Michael Terrell, Senior Director of Energy and Climate for Google, said in a release. “We are excited to become a founding sponsor of the Catalyze program and look forward to working with our fellow sponsors and suppliers to expand the use of clean energy across this critical area of Google’s supply chain.”
