TSMC Collaborates with Suppliers to Pioneer the Development of World-class Semiconductor Green Tools

As the world’s leading dedicated IC foundry company, TSMC is committed to creating a sustainable semiconductor supply chain. The power consumption of the process manufacturing equipment accounts for more than 50% of the Company’s energy use, and the Company is getting more and more advanced process manufacturing equipment to support customers’ needs every year. Thus, TSMC has collaborated with equipment suppliers since 2016 to develop energy-saving green tools for semiconductor manufacturing. Before these new tools were introduced, TSMC completed the verification of more energy-saving design, installed energy-saving components, and expanded the energy-saving effects of advanced process manufacturing equipment, becoming the world's first semiconductor company that implements energy-saving practice on advanced manufacturing equipment.

Thanks to the relentless efforts of TSMC energy saving team, 272 energy-saving plans were proposed in 2020, of which 139 plans were approved, verified, and applied to 68 types of 5nm and future 3nm advanced process manufacturing equipment. High-efficiency parts and energy-saving designs have been introduced into 17 types of energy-intensive components. In 2020, TSMC successfully saved 200 GWh of electricity for using energy-saving fab tools.

TSMC’s Energy Saving and Carbon Emission Reduction Committee launched a project of "Energy Conservation Action Project for Next-generation Fab Tools" in 2018. The committee holds more than 100 meetings every year with participation of global semiconductor equipment manufacturers and component suppliers. In 2020, TSMC required the top 6 power-consuming equipment suppliers to analyze the energy consumption parameters of advanced manufacturing equipment modules and held regular technical review meetings to jointly develop innovative designs for energy-saving, repeatedly validating the solutions and developing advanced manufacturing equipment with more green benefits. At the same time, the energy-saving specifications are also incorporated in the standard new equipment purchase requirements.

In 2020, TSMC also reaffirmed the importance of TSMC’s green manufacturing to nearly 700 semiconductor equipment suppliers and factory services providers at the 20th Supply Chain Management Forum. The Company announced its energy-saving performance and future energy-saving policy to encourage suppliers to develop more innovative energy-saving solutions and increase the awareness of energy-saving and carbon-reduction among the entire supply chain. In 2021, TSMC will continue to cooperate with machine and equipment manufacturers to create new energy-saving action plans, and over 143 energy-saving plans are expected to pass the verification, moving towards the sustainability goal of average energy-saving benefits of 20% for each machine and equipment by 2030.