Month: April 2024

Tackling macro technology challenges often entails devising micro solutions that scale. At AMD, we have embraced this approach for 55 years as we design high performance and adaptive computing solutions. In my role to advance sustainability at AMD, I have seen incredible innovations where AMDers think small to think big and in doing so, create major co-benefits for technology users and the planet.

A powerful example is AMD developing “chiplets” – a revolutionary semiconductor design approach that embraces modular architecture. The innovation addresses several technology and sustainability challenges simultaneously such as cutting manufacturing environmental impacts and costs while increasing compute performance and energy efficiency. Instead of one large monolithic chip, AMD engineers reconfigured the component IP building blocks using a flexible, scalable connectivity we designed known as Infinity Fabric. This laid the foundation for our Infinity Architecture configuring multiple individual chiplets to scale compute cores in countless designs that further optimize energy efficiency.

AMD recently measured the sustainability benefits of chiplets in the wafer manufacturing process for one product line, and the results are compelling. Producing 4th Gen EPYC CPUs with 8 separate compute chiplets instead of one monolithic die saved ~50K metric tons of CO2e in 2023 through avoidance of wafers manufactured, approximately the same as the annual operational CO2e footprint of AMD in 2022.i 

Modular designs inherently provide sustainability benefits by leveraging interchangeable component configurations to provide flexibility in product offerings while cutting manufacturing cost and waste. For example, modular home construction is estimated to reduce waste by over 80% and cut costs nearly in half compared to a traditional new construction home.ii

In the case of the AMD modular chiplet approach, the waste reduced is the percentage of silicon wafers with defects. The silicon wafers are circular (300 mm diameter), and the individual chips are squares/rectangles. Each wafer is cut to yield a certain number of chips, and not all of them are perfect. The smaller the area of the chip, the more chips we can get per wafer and the lower the probability that a defect will land on any one chip. As a result, the number and yield percentage of “good” chips per wafer goes up, and the wasted cost, raw materials, energy, emissions and water goes down.

Like any disruptive design approach, AMD chiplet technology encountered initial skepticism – both internally among AMD engineers and externally from the competition, as AMD CTO Mark Papermaster and Sam Naffziger, senior vice president and AMD Corporate Fellow, discussed in this AMD Advanced Insights podcast. But by diligently following the data and devising key solutions, like a lightweight and high-speed communication fabric, the compelling benefits in performance capability, configuration flexibility and energy efficiency prevailed. Today, much of the industry is trying to replicate the chiplet approach.

Chiplets not only avoid waste and conserve resources in manufacturing, but also in the data centers powering the digital services and experiences we use daily. Each chiplet houses multiple processor cores, and different chiplets can be added and even stacked in a package to create higher-performance and more energy efficient processors. Today, AMD EPYC processors power the most energy efficient x86 servers on the market.iii Using the most energy efficient servers means far fewer physical servers are needed to meet computing demands, which has a cascading effect of avoided environmental impacts – less raw materials, manufacturing, shipping, energy use and data center space. This is critical for companies needing to modernize data center infrastructure and increase compute capabilities while also aggressively pursuing sustainability goals. A case in point is Europe’s largest semiconductor company, STMicroelectronics. By upgrading their server processors to AMD EPYC, they slashed electricity consumption by 33% as part of their strategy to reach carbon neutrality by 2027, all while increasing compute performance.iv

When sustainability is built into design, it can avoid the need to manage waste on the back end. Our chiplet design approach is not only reducing the energy consumption and carbon emissions from end devices like servers and data centers, but also reducing waste and avoiding emissions in the supply chain.

To learn more about environmental sustainability at AMD, visit: https://www.amd.com/en/corporate/corporate-responsibility/environmental-sustainability.html

Footnotes

[i]AMD estimation based on defect density (defects per unit area on the wafer), chip area and n-factor (manufacturing complexity factor) to estimate number of avoided wafers in one year. Yield = (1 + A*D0)^(-n) where A is the chip area, D0 is the defect density and n is the complexity factor. The Area is known from our design. D0 is known based our manufacturing yield data and n is a number provided by a foundry partner for a given technology. The calculations are not meant to be precise since chip design can have a large influence on yield, but it estimates the area impact on yield. The carbon emission estimates of 49,934 mtCO2e were calculated by entering in the estimated number of 5 nm wafers saved in one year based on the TechInsights’ Semiconductor Manufacturing Carbon Model. Comparison to AMD corporate footprint is based on AMD reported scope 1 and 2 market-based GHG emissions in 2022, 50,198 mtCO2e.

[ii]https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/11/12/622

[iii]EPYC-028C: SPECpower_ssj® 2008, SPECrate®2017_int_energy_base, and SPECrate®2017_fp_energy_base based on results published on SPEC’s website as of 11/10/22. VMmark® server power-performance / server and storage power-performance (PPKW) based results published at https://www.vmware.com/products/vmmark/results3x.1.html?sort=score. The first 80 ranked SPECpower_ssj®2008 publications with the highest overall efficiency overall ssj_ops/W results were all powered by AMD EPYC processors. For SPECrate®2017 Integer (Energy Base), AMD EPYC CPUs power the first 11 top SPECrate®2017_int_energy_base performance/system W scores. For SPECrate®2017 Floating Point (Energy Base), AMD EPYC CPUs power the first 12 SPECrate®2017_fp_energy_base performance/system W scores. For VMmark® server power-performance (PPKW), have the top four results for 2- and 4-socket matched pair results outperforming all other socket results and for VMmark® server and storage power-performance (PPKW), have the top overall score. See https://www.amd.com/en/claims/epyc4#faq-EPYC-028C for the full list. More information about SPEC® is available at http://www.spec.org. SPEC, SPECrate, and SPECpower are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. VMmark is a registered trademark of VMware in the US or other countries.

[iv]https://www.amd.com/en/resources/case-studies/stmicroelectronics.html

By Mary Jacques, Executive Director, Global ESG & Regulatory Compliance, Lenovo

In my time at Lenovo, I’ve watched Earth Day develop from a single day of celebration and awareness in the U.S. – mostly around recycling – to a global event that doesn’t just celebrate awareness in the moment but fosters transparency and collaboration around our common goals all year. I’m proud to see this evolution and to lead the growth of Lenovo’s sustainability programs alongside it. Today, our global technology powerhouse is driving progress for our customers and communities around the world. From our services and solutions to our servers, PCs, smartphones, and monitors, Lenovo is striving to not just meet our own sustainability goals but help our customers on their sustainability journeys as well.

We’re developing solutions and services that support our customers’ sustainability goals. The rapid adoption of AI across sectors is generating a lot of questions for sustainability managers. We know that AI is an important part of our future and an emerging tool that can help us measure sustainability impacts to make more data informed decisions. Today, our Services and Solutions Group (SSG) announced LISSA, a Gen-AI powered Intelligent Sustainability Solutions Advisor that empowers our customers with the data they need to better understand the carbon footprint of their IT purchasing decisions. LISSA is just one of the latest innovations from a suite of options offered by our Sustainability Services Team. Today, they offer ways for customers to manage, measure and reduce the carbon footprints of their IT solutions from the point of purchase and shipment, all the way to the end of a device’s lifecycle.

Just like our services and solutions business, the developers of our servers and devices are constantly examining details and opportunities to increase sustainability. We are immensely proud of the team’s efforts and achievement in plastic-free packaging, repairability, and innovative materials in our PCs, and we know that Lenovo’s Neptune Liquid Cooling technology is the answer for customers who want increased energy efficiency and computing power. Our teams continue to find ways to contribute to the circular economy and make our products more energy efficient. Lenovo has included post-consumer recycled content in our products for well over a decade and continues to push the boundaries of taking a holistic approach to including recycled content in as many applications and products a possible – not just a select few. As part of our journey to net-zero, our business leaders are innovating to improve the carbon impact of our products, aiming to improve energy efficiency of our servers and desktop PCs by 50% (base year 2018/19) and energy efficiency of our laptops and Motorola smartphones by 30% (base year 2020/21).

At Lenovo we know that our journey to net-zero will require the support of our entire enterprise. With this momentum, we’re proud to be on-track in our 2030 emissions reduction goals, the first milestone in our journey to net-zero aligned to Science Based Targets initiative’s Net-Zero Standard. The Net-Zero Standard is the first of its kind standard for companies working toward net-zero, and Lenovo is proud to be in the first group of companies to have its 2050 net-zero targets validated by Science Based Targets initiative. As part of this commitment, we will transparently report on our CO2 emissions each year in our ESG Report – an effort we have made since 2008. We are constantly working to understand and measure our emissions in order to make more data informed decision, and we’re extremely proud of a recent initiative in our manufacturing operations– Lenovo ESG Navigator. The system measured ESG-related data from our factories to empower decision-makers with near real time understandings of our environmental impact. Our understandings can help Lenovo make better decisions but can also help us share best practices across the manufacturing industry to increase sustainability, just like low-temperature soldering, an innovation in our manufacturing process that has been helping us reduce emissions in manufacturing since 2017.

We understand that collaboration is critical to a more sustainable future. While sustainability can provide a competitive advantage, we know it will take collaboration to achieve a more sustainable future. Our transparent reporting, commitment to credible standards and taking a science-based approach, and willingness to share our breakthroughs across the industry demonstrate this value. Additionally, the Lenovo 360 Circle community that serves the IT channel has taken our commitment to collaboration to another level. Led by our international sales team, Lenovo 360 Circle gathers our channel partners, subject matter experts, and thought leaders across ESG to provide resources needed to achieve and expand our collective sustainability initiatives. Additionally, programs like our Work For Humankind that use Lenovo’s smarter technology across our pocket-to-cloud portfolio to support communities are also moving the needle in the right direction. Finally, being truly collaborative means meeting stakeholders wherever they’re at in their sustainability journey and making progress together. We’re proud of our partnership with Formula 1® and the smarter future our partnership is driving toward for motorsports.

On Earth Day 2024, a traditional theme like recycling is still a wonderful way to celebrate our love for the planet and efforts to keep it as our home. However, at Lenovo, I’m proud that Earth Day has become a time to look inward, hold ourselves accountable, and continue to challenge ourselves to make progress toward our goals. You can read more about Lenovo Environmental, Social and Governance goals and programs in our Annual ESG Report.

April 22, 2024 /3BL/ – The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) is thrilled to welcome Olympus, a leading manufacturer of optical and digital precision technology, as a new member. Olympus provides versatile medical devices including endoscopes, endotherapy, and surgical devices as well as products and solutions for lung, colorectal, and stomach cancer.

“Olympus has an established history of bringing innovation to the healthcare industry and has been a pioneer in MedTech products and services,” said Peylina Chu, Executive Director of HPRC. “We look forward to them bringing that innovative spirit to HPRC as they support our work to overcome barriers and identify solutions for healthcare plastic recycling.”

Olympus prioritizes patient safety and sustainability, innovation for growth, and productivity – these priorities drive their purpose of making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. They understand the importance of tackling challenges related to climate change, human rights, and ESG head-on so that we can reach our collective goal of a sustainable society.

“As a leader in the area of MedTech, Olympus aims to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and, in particular, the recycling of healthcare plastics,” shared Mr. Yuichi Morizane, VP of R&D ESG Global at Olympus. “By collaborating with other HPRC members, we can synergize our efforts towards common goals, leverage our unique insights and strengths, and learn from our collective experiences to accelerate our movement forward, together.”

HPRC is currently engaged in multiple initiatives aimed at enabling the recycling and circularity of healthcare plastics, including research into advanced recycling technologies to recycle mixed-stream healthcare plastics and a study of reverse logistics processes for collecting, sorting, and preparing healthcare plastic waste for transport.

 

About HPRC

HPRC is a private technical coalition of industry peers across healthcare, recycling, and waste management industries seeking to improve the recyclability of plastic products within healthcare. Made up of brand-leading and globally recognized members, HPRC explores ways to enhance the economics, efficiency, and ultimately the quality and quantity of healthcare plastics collected for recycling in support of a circular plastics economy. HPRC is active across the United States and Europe working with key stakeholders, identifying opportunities for collaboration, and participating in industry events and forums. For more information, visit www.hprc.org and follow HPRC on LinkedIn.

 

About Olympus

At Olympus, we are committed to Our Purpose of making people’s lives healthier, safer and more fulfilling. As a global medical technology company, we partner with healthcare professionals to provide best-in-class solutions and services for early detection, diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment, aiming to improve patient outcomes by elevating the standard of care in targeted disease states. For more than 100 years, Olympus has pursued a goal of contributing to society by producing products designed with the purpose of delivering optimal outcomes for its customers around the world. For more information, visit https://www.olympus-global.com/ and follow our global X account: @Olympus_Corp.

No matter the size or scope of a company’s operations, we all use natural resources every day at work and at home. Whether it is electricity used for lighting up the workplace or powering equipment, water used in bottling plants on a production line or as cooling water in data centers, or materials used in manufacturing, food production, or the office space that leave behind waste, natural resources play a critical role in our day-to-day work.

As we celebrate Earth Day 2024, we want to take the time to acknowledge the importance and role of our world’s natural resources and how we can better manage and conserve them. We all have a role to play in natural resource management, and in this blog we will discuss the importance of conservation and what your company can do to promote awareness and better manage natural resources.

The State of Earth’s Natural Resources

Earth’s natural resources, including minerals, water, fuels, soils, plants, and animals, are finite, even those that are labeled as renewable. At our current consumption and waste generation rates, it is estimated that we would need approximately 1.82 planet Earths to meet our demand for resources and absorb the waste that we generate. From 1970 to 2000, we have consumed over a third of the Earth’s natural resources in just thirty years according to a study from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). There are currently significant resource scarcity challenges that may have global implications in the future with minerals, ores, fossil fuels, and biomass consumption tripling between 2013 and 2050. The Earth is unable to sustain our current consumption, and therefore conservation and circularity practices are essential to ensure that our natural resources are not depleted over the next century and can continue to sustain us as the earth has for millennia.

The Importance of Conservation

Why should businesses of all types care about conservation? The overconsumption of Earth’s resources poses several risks throughout various industries and business segments. A lack of material resources or ecosystem services in the future such as water or materials provided by plants, animals, and ores will cause business to cease production and or operations. Conservation should be a key concern to all for long-term business continuity.

In addition to sustaining resources for future use, implementing conservation and efficiency practices in our homes and in the workplace often reduces utility and operating costs through reduced spending on resources such as energy and water usage, less materials purchased, and waste generated. Unlike the projected effects of climate change, where we won’t see catastrophic impacts for decades, the water cycle and our available water resource have already been impacted by worsening droughts and outcomes of poor water resource management in prior decades. There are impacts affecting certain industries now, and expected to get worse in the next 5-7 years (within the  business planning horizons for most companies).

We also have historic examples of how material shortages have reshaped whole industries in the past  including aluminum shortage in World War I changing  the aircraft industry, rubber shortage in World War II spurring innovation in automotive industry, ivory and whalebone shortages changing a slew of material and textiles industries.

Resource Management and Reduction

You and your company can aid in resource conservation through the development of a resource management plan. The first step is to gather data and track your energy, water, materials, and waste streams. This requires installing proper metering to effectively track energy and water as well as a defined process for documenting all materials used and waste generated. Tracking this data will help you develop key performance indicators that can be used to set resource reduction goals. The next step is to implement resource reduction practices.

Below is a list of a few (of many) general best practices that can help your facility reduce its resource consumption, increase its efficiency, and save money.

Energy

Energy is a necessity to any business operation, especially as we increasingly rely on our digital infrastructure for everything from making coffee to taking phone calls.

Install energy management and control systems in commercial and industrial facilities;Perform regular maintenance on equipment such as HVAC and boilers and create a maintenance plan;Check steam traps to ensure they are functioning properly;Only use compressed air where and when it is absolutely needed;Check for compressed air leaks;Fit motors with variable frequency drives (VFD);Maximize your boiler condensate return;Properly insulate all pipes transporting hot/cold air or water;Convert light fixtures and bulbs to LEDs;Participate in energy efficiency and conservation programs offered by utilities; andReplace old equipment with new energy efficient models.

Water

Water is a key ingredient to our day-to-day life. Most businesses cannot stay open without a water supply, whether water is only used for sanitary needs, or is a primary ingredient in production.

Perform regular maintenance on water systems and create a maintenance plan;Check for leaks in pipes and fixtures and implement a leak detection system;Install water meters to capture all uses of water;Install high-efficiency water fixtures (sinks, toilets, showers, etc.);Utilize drip irrigation systems and moisture sensors;Install rainwater harvesting systems;Reclaim and recycle treated wastewater for non-potable uses (e.g., irrigation, graywater, non-contact cooling, etc.);Close water loops to reduce/remove single time use; andReplace old equipment with new water efficient models.

Waste and Materials

Conserving materials is key to cost savings and minimizing waste, but did you know waste is also a resource?

Eliminate or reduce the amount of byproduct that is being generated through changes in processes;Reuse materials on-site (polyol, pallets);Reuse materials externally (scrap leather);Recycle materials on-site (solvent distillation);Recycle materials off-site (metal, oil, electronics);Compost (on or off-site);Recover energy from materials/waste (incineration plants with energy recovery);Incinerate/treat wastes to destroy, detoxify, and/or neutralize wastes into less harmful substances (without energy recovery); andSecure land disposal should be used only as a last option. If this method is used, it should be ensured that wastes deposited on land use volume reduction, encapsulation, leachate containment, and monitoring and controlled air and surface/subsurface waste releases.

Supply Chain Awareness

There is only so much that one facility can do to reduce resource consumption, which makes collective action a critical component of resource management to improve resiliency for all. Each company’s supply chain and resource providers play a large role in resource management and conservation. Contact your suppliers and utility providers to determine how they can help you meet your resource reduction goals. For example, request they work on reducing the amount of single use packaging associated with their materials. Some suppliers may also be able to accept packaging materials back for reuse, such as pallets.

Earth Day, Every Day

Earth Day reminds us that we depend on the resources and natural processes our planet provides for us. While natural resource conservation is a major challenge that threatens our future, we have the chance and obligation to take collective action and step up as stewards for the Earth, its resources, and all life that depends on them. Your and your business’s actions and choices can have a measurable and significant impact, and it is important to take action now to secure our future.

Antea Group and our Facility Optimization and Waste and Materials Management services can help your company get started on developing a resource management plan for your facilities, or we can help to reduce your energy, waste, and water consumption through energy audits, waste minimization plans, and water efficiency assessments. Reach out to our Antea Group experts today!