Every semiconductor chip begins its life in a fab. While chips are essential for powering today’s digital age and enabling advancements in AI, their production consumes significant amounts of energy and generates greenhouse gases (GHG) as a by-product.
As we work toward our Journey to Zero Carbon goals, GF remains committed to environmentally responsible manufacturing and operations, continually taking action to reduce and manage our greenhouse gas emissions.
With a mix of innovation, smart engineering and bold improvements, our teams seek to decarbonize semiconductor manufacturing to further reduce GF’s carbon footprint and deliver on our sustainability commitments to our customers.â¯
We are currently scaling-up the full deployment of a central abatement system at our 300-mm fabrication plant in Singapore. Targeted for completion in the first quarter of 2026, this initiative is expected to significantly reduce emissions, enhance resource efficiency and optimize manufacturing processes.
Rethinking abatement
Unlike conventional point-of-use abatement systems that collect and treat exhaust gases from each wafer fabrication tool, multiple tools are connected to a single centralized abatement system that treats exhaust gases in bulk through a multi-stage process.
Here’s how it works:
- First, exhaust gases pass through a pre-scrubber where water and an electrostatic precipitator remove acid gases and particles.
- The gases are then heated and treated in a catalytic unit which breaks down fluorinated greenhouse gases into water-soluble by-products.
- Finally, the by-products go through a post-scrubber for cleaning before being safely vented and the resulting wastewater is sent for further treatment.
Smarter, cleaner and greener
We achieved encouraging results from a successful pilot of the system, which together with other existing initiatives, has contributed to a substantial reduction in GF Singapore’s emissions.
Moreover, the central abatement system also uses 20% less space and has lower electricity consumption than if conventional point-of-use systems had been employed. It also enhances manufacturing efficiency by minimizing tool downtime and freeing up valuable fab space for production and support operations.
As we prepare to unlock the full potential of the system at the World Economic Forum Global Lighthouse Network-designated fab, our 200 mm and 300 mm facilities in Singapore are driving impactful initiatives aligned with GF’s decarbonization roadmap.
These include replacing traditional chamber-cleaning processes with cleaner, more efficient methods – achieving a 97% reduction in carbon emissions from the upgraded processes at the 200 mm fab. We use electric heat pumps instead of fossil-fuel combustion boilers in our manufacturing operations.
Looking ahead, GF Singapore plans to leverage renewable energy from Singapore’s first hydrogen-ready, energy-efficient power plant when it becomes operational.
Shaping what’s essential sustainably
Our goal is clear: to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are accelerating our global GHG-reduction goals, aiming for a 42% cut from 2021 levels by 2030, in alignment with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
Across GF’s operations in the U.S., Germany and Singapore, we continue to pursue energy-efficiency improvements, alternative chemistries, new green technologies and lower-carbon power sources as part of our ONEGF roadmap.
Decarbonizing a fab isn’t easy. But with innovation, collaboration and the commitment of our people, we’re proving that our essential chips can power a connected world sustainably.