Product Marketing Manager Emerson, NJ, United States
The semiconductor industry is on track to become a $1 trillion sector by 2030, yet it faces an urgent sustainability challenge. Fabs are projected to consume 237 TWh of electricity and emit 86 million metric tons of CO₂ annually by 2030. This proposal introduces a scalable, edge-based utility monitoring platform designed to help fabs reduce environmental impact while maintaining operational excellence. The solution enables unified, real-time tracking of water, air, gas, electricity, and steam (WAGES), as well as associated carbon emissions and utility costs at the level of individual assets, production lines or entire facilities. Drawing on experience of implementing similar solutions across high-performance industries, including semiconductor manufacturing, this platform addresses a core industry barrier: the fragmentation of utility data across systems. It aggregates and analyzes data at the edge using intelligent diagnostics and advanced analytics, and integrates seamlessly with existing SCADA, PLC, and cloud applications via open protocols.
What differentiates this approach is its direct support of key fab KPIs, including:
Equipment uptime and Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): Predictive diagnostics enable early detection of utility anomalies that could cause downtime, decrease efficiency and utility losses. Energy cost per wafer: By identifying and correcting compressed air leaks, idle loads, and inefficient electricity energy use, fabs can reduce wasted power—up to 30% of usage in some systems and increase energy efficiency. Water recycling rates: Real-time monitoring of ultrapure water (e.g., up to 4 million gallons/day per fab) supports recovery strategies targeting 85% recycling. OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness): Reductions in unplanned utility-related downtime directly improve this KPI.
The solution also supports flexible OPEX-based models, such as subscription or performance-based contracts, to improve cost control and provide a proven return on investment (ROI) with quick scalability. Proof of Concept and pilot project deployments and simulations show annual savings potential of $1.5M–$3M per fab while enabling more accurate ESG reporting, utility benchmarking, and compliance with tightening environmental regulations. It enables facilities to achieve corporate goals like net-zero emissions, 85% water reuse, and zero hazardous emissions, all while complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and improving uptime and operational reliability.
This work aligns with the SEMICON West 2025 Smart Manufacturing Pavilion theme, “Innovating the Future of Semiconductor Manufacturing,” and illustrates how smart utility monitoring can accelerate decarbonization, improve fab resilience, and reduce cost uncertainty. We propose this contribution for a technical presentation and look forward to sharing our design framework, KPI-based impact, and lessons from early adoption.
