Month: May 2024

The week of April 22nd, 2024, Antea Group participated in SESHA’s 46th Annual Symposium in Phoenix, Arizona. SESHA was founded in 1978 and promotes “the effective communication of safety, health, and environmental information to the high technology and associated industries.”

The Annual Symposium kicked off the event with Bootcamps for environmental, safety and health (ESH) professionals entering the high tech ESH field to advanced workshop sessions and learning opportunities lead by industry technical experts, as well as networking opportunities. In case you missed it, here are some key takeaways.

Investment in the Semiconductor Industry

The CHIPS Act, signed into law in August 2022, is a U.S. federal law enacted to bolster the competitiveness of the United States in semiconductor manufacturing, research, and development. This act is spurring a large monetary investment in the semiconductor manufacturing industry in the US.

In fact, it provides approximately $52 billion in funding. This includes $39 billion in financial incentives such as grants and loans for semiconductor manufacturing plants. There’s also an investment tax credit for semiconductor equipment or manufacturing facility investments, estimated to be worth $24 billion.

The act also allocates funding towards semiconductor research, design, and development. This aims to advance semiconductor technology and ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of tech innovation. By increasing domestic production of semiconductors, the CHIPS Act aims to reduce the U.S.’s reliance on foreign chip manufacturing, which is considered a national security priority.

The hope is that more semiconductor companies will ramp up their investments in the US, leading to new production facilities being built and existing facilities being upgraded.

3 Key Challenges Facing the Semiconductor Industry

Among this surge in money and investment, the semiconductor industry faces challenges. After SESHA, here are three key challenges worth noting for semiconductor manufacturers:

1. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reporting

Due to the ever-changing ESG regulatory landscape, including recent legislation passing in the EU and stateside with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) climate disclosure rules, regulatory challenges are only increasing. While this is certainly a struggle across many different industries, the semiconductor industry has unique struggles due to the GHGs they use.

Greenhouse gas emissions in the semiconductor industry primarily arise from the use of potent GHGs in manufacturing processes, such as perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandates that facilities emitting above certain thresholds report their emissions annually. This reporting includes direct emissions (Scope 1) and indirect emissions from purchased electricity (Scope 2). However, Scope 3 emissions, which cover all other indirect emissions not covered under Scope 2, such as those from purchased goods and services, business travel, and waste disposal, are increasingly under scrutiny.

For semiconductor companies, the complexity of calculating Scope 3 emissions poses a significant challenge. These emissions are often not directly controllable but reflect the broader value chain impact. As regulations tighten and expand to incorporate broader emission sources, semiconductor companies find themselves in a race to enhance their reporting mechanisms and ensure compliance.

2. PFAS in the Semiconductor Industry

The EPA started the first few months of 2024 by passing quite a few restrictions and regulations on PFAS. However, what many don’t realize is that PFAS are a necessary component in semiconductor manufacturing. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association PFAS Consortium, currently, “no known alternatives exist for many of the industry’s uses of fluorocarbons. Given its carbon-fluorine chemistry, PFAS-containing materials offer a unique set of surface tension, stability and chemical compatibility that many semiconductor applications require.”

The fear within the industry is stark: a complete ban on PFAS could critically damage semiconductor manufacturing. Some within the industry have moved their focus to advocating for exceptions for these new PFAS regulations where no viable alternatives exist. They are also working to ensure that regulations are informed by an understanding of the technical and economic realities of semiconductor production.

So, while bans and restrictions on PFAS seem positive at face-value, the threat to the semiconductor industry is real, and getting that education from industry experts to government officials is ongoing.

3. Resource Conservation: Energy, Water, Resource and Waste Management

Semiconductor manufacturing is resource-intensive, requiring significant quantities of water, energy, and resource management with the goal of eliminating or reducing waste of these resources. In addition, as semiconductor technology advances, the devices become smaller and more complex, requiring even greater precision and control in the manufacturing process. This leads to increasing demands for energy and materials to achieve the higher standards required by newer technologies.

As competition for these resources intensifies, it’s important for companies to prioritize sustainability and efficiency to reduce their environmental impacts and ensure long-term viability. Developing a strong resource management plan can help companies track their resource usage and implement reduction practices.  

Bringing it all Together

The SESHA 46th Annual Symposium provided invaluable insights into the current and emerging challenges faced by the semiconductor industry. As the industry navigates the above challenges, strategic planning and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies will be key. This symposium underscored the critical need for ongoing education, collaboration, and adaptation within the industry, highlighting the essential role that EHS professionals play in shaping its trajectory.

Looking for support navigating the EHS&S challenges in the semiconductor industry? Let’s connect!

In December 2023, Lenovo kicked off the holiday season with a donation to one of its long-standing partners: the North Carolina Governor Morehead School for the Blind. Lenovo distributed brand-new personal laptop computers to every student at the school. These laptops are promoting remote learning and communication, extending educational opportunities beyond the classroom.

Lenovo’s partnership with the Governor Morehead School exemplifies technology’s transformative power in fostering inclusivity and accessibility in education. The collaboration transcends business, symbolizing a joint commitment to leveraging innovation for the betterment of differently-abled individuals.

In 2021, Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office and the Governor Morehead School teamed up to offer project-based learning opportunities and visits to Lenovo’s headquarters in Morrisville, N.C. While students are gaining access and insight into the tech industry, Lenovo is able to learn from those students and obtain feedback on how to make future products more accessible and truly be “Smarter Technology for All.”

In February 2024, students from the Governor Morehead School again visited the Morrisville campus where they were provided with a hands-on opportunity with product testing. These products were designed to make current Lenovo products more accessible to those with visual impairments.

“The idea behind that is to include individuals with disabilities in the development process,” said Ada Lopez with Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office. “We take this feedback that students give us and we share it with our development teams. This sort of empathy is necessary when creating products for the world.”

Students also met with Lenovo mentors that allowed them first-hand exposure to professionals from diverse backgrounds.

“Getting the chance to help others see the world from our lens of life was really cool,” said Amaya Vick, 11th grade student at Governor Morehead School.

Central to this partnership is the shared belief that technology can break barriers and offer equal opportunities. Lenovo strives not only for cutting-edge products but also for inclusivity because at its core, Lenovo believes that technology can serve as a bridge to access education, jobs, entertainment, and more. The collaboration focuses on specialized tools and software designed with educators and specialists to meet visually impaired students’ unique needs. These innovations, from specialty software to tactile interfaces, empower students to engage with digital content effectively.

Lenovo’s Product Diversity Office is committed to finding ways to make technology accessible, whether through physical attributes like tactile changes to help those with vision impairments or assistive sound devices for those with hearing impairments. Through this partnership with the Governor Morehead School, Lenovo is not just providing technology; we’re shaping a more inclusive future where every student, regardless of ability, can harness the power of innovation.

Some examples of Lenovo technologies built with diversity in mind include:

ThinkPad Keyboard changes to improve accessibility include tactile markings on insert, function, volume, and enter keys.Lenovo’s sign language translation solution that uses computer vision and AI to interpret the Brazilian sign language in real-time.Lenovo Voice, which offers real-time translation assistance, subtitle assistance, voice input, and voice assistant capabilities on Lenovo X1 Folds.321 Coffee’s tech-enabled Roasting Facility, outfitted with Lenovo technology that allows the differently abled to safely and effectively work in the roasting facility.

The work of the Product Diversity Office underscores technology’s potential to create a more equitable world, inspiring purpose-driven collaborations between corporations and educational institutions for meaningful societal advancement.