Balancing Innovation and Sustainability in Semiconductor Manufacturing
www.bisinfotech.com, May. 30, 2025 –
Data centres, digital transformation, and the expansion of AI are driving up demand for semiconductors, but there is a substantial environmental cost. For long-term sustainability, issues with waste production and energy-intensive manufacturing must be resolved.
From smartphones to artificial intelligence systems, semiconductors drive modern innovation, yet their manufacture has an environmental impact. The industry may save resources, cut down on waste, and use less energy by incorporating sustainability into design and manufacture. Sustainable development requires incorporating environmental impact (E) into the conventional power, performance, area, and cost (PPAC) model early on.
There is a growing movement to employ recycled materials, optimise fabrication methods, and reduce energy use. The industry is moving towards a greener future because to innovations like adaptive power management and energy-efficient architectures, which provide excellent performance while lowering carbon footprints.
Imec’s SSTS Program
Sustainability in semiconductor production has long been a priority for Imec, the top independent nanoelectronics research and development centre in the world. In order to address the urgent environmental issues associated with the production of advanced semiconductors, the Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) program, led by Itec, unites a remarkable coalition of major players in the industry, government agencies, academic institutions, and important associations.
Cadence is pleased to have joined this innovative program as the first electronic design automation (EDA) partner. With the use of Cadence’s cutting-edge design tools, this collaboration represents a crucial first step towards creating a safe data-sharing platform that permits access to imec.netzero data. This feature enables engineers and designers to incorporate environmental factors from the outset of the design process and make well-informed decisions. Integrating sustainability into the core of semiconductor innovation is the evident goal.
How Cadence and imec Benefit the Industry
Cadence and Imec will be reinventing the design mindset through this collaboration, making sustainability a primary motivator throughout the design process. Since life cycle analysis is now usually completed after a product is designed, any necessary modifications to the process or bill of materials will cause the project’s timeframe to be delayed by many months. Designers can proactively assess the environmental impact of their choices during the design phase, when it counts most, by using Cadence’s “shift left” process.
Lars-Åke Ragnarsson, program director of Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) at imec, stated, “Welcoming Cadence as the first EDA partner in our SSTS program marks a significant milestone in valorising our data and ensuring sustainability is embedded at the heart of semiconductor innovation.”
Cadence’s Leadership in Sustainable Innovation
This collaboration strengthens Cadence’s standing as a world leader in environmentally friendly innovation. We are taking decisive steps to support our commitment to attain net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Cadence is laying the groundwork for a sustainable, effective, and technologically sophisticated semiconductor ecosystem by creating generative AI and digital twin technologies, acquiring businesses that promote sustainable innovation strategically, and providing tool solutions that tackle present and future environmental issues.