Can photonics help the semiconductor industry reach net-zero carbon emissions?

The semiconductor industry is yet another sector responsible for increasing the amount of global CO2 emissions, and its carbon footprint is going to increase by 70% along with the demand for microchips. Antanas Laurutis says photonic technology can reduce CO2 emissions by millions of tons per year, all the way from semiconductor fabrication to everyday items in households

Semiconductors are some of the key drivers of technology innovations. You can find them in phones, cars, computers, and even many of our house appliances. Unfortunately, semiconductors are not only pioneering in technological growth but they are also big contributors to CO2 emissions. As the demand for them will only continue growing, we need to find how to produce and use them sustainably. Photonics could be just the right answer for that.  

In 2023, more than a trillion microchips were sold. Each year, the industry requires around 150kW of energy, about 800 million cubic meters of water and this translates to roughly 500 megatons of CO2 emissions. Furthermore, demand for microchips is expected to rise by about 70%.

Luckily, photonics can do more than speed up the manufacturing process, it can also make the entire process of use much greener. Photonic interconnects in chips are not a new thing, but now it is more relevant than before, as coupling photonic circuits with electronic ones, we can set aside traditional copper interconnects that consume a lot of energy. They significantly reduce energy waste when the chips are operating. Thus, introducing photonic interconnects in all microchips can reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. 

The impact of this will stretch beyond factory doors where chips are produced and further used. We can expect the step to create a ripple effect across the world removing extra pressure off already strained power grids, especially in Japan, the US, China, and other countries that dominate in semiconductor manufacturing.

This should radically reduce carbon footprint across the tech sector, and potentially influence other energy-intensive industries, like commercial buildings and houses that produce around 30% of all carbon emissions globally. Chips that are made to reduce less energy are crucial in this respect. As photonic-driven chips are integrated into various objects that households and commercial buildings use, the emissions will drop, some say by as much as 20% over the next decade.

Can you imagine a world, where all of the appliances operate by leaving zero carbon footprint? The vision can definitely become a reality as we adopt photonic-driven processors, which would transform our daily use objects into silent helpers in the battle against climate change.  

In this respect, the electrically driven organic semiconductor lasers, photodetectors, OLEDs and solar cells are other recent breakthroughs. They lessen the environmental effect of semiconductor fabrication while increasing semiconductor efficiency. By incorporating electrically driven organic materials into laser systems, it makes them biodegradable. 

Another aspect toward greener production is the change of mindset that needs to happen. What if we do not just focus on how to recycle our gadgets but produce them sustainably? No more take-make-dispose, but make-use-break-down-naturally. The result would be 0% carbon emissions as there will not be any electronic waste. That would change the very concept of how the tech sector produces things.

I do not want to underestimate the challenges that await us on the road to the adoption of biodegradable-first production. The costs that are needed to implement that are high and integrating new technologies into production lines may not be reachable for some companies at the moment.

Another question is whether they will scale if adopted. Countries may worry that the investments will not achieve the desired outcome and billions of dollars will be wasted. However, the discussed use cases show that the worries are unfounded as the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Apart from greener outcomes, the transformed production method will increase the efficiency of factories, and increase returns. As electricity consumption is reduced, factories will be able to produce more, faster, and cheaper.

We see that the semiconductor industry is at a crossroads. We can no longer prioritise progress at the expense of our planet. Ignoring the toxic waste and ever-growing emissions that are the result of the current chip production is unacceptable. The future of semiconductor manufacturing must become sustainable and photonics is the right path that will lead us to it.  

And here’s how the future looks after we include photonics in semiconductor production. CO2 emissions will fall dramatically, probably by millions of tons annually. Data centres that are always ‘energy hungry’ operate consuming far less power, thanks to photonic interconnects. The global supply chain for semiconductors will be more sustainable, consuming less water and causing minimal or zero hazards for the environment.

The question is, will we take advantage of this new frontier as we stand on the verge of it? Either the semiconductor industry keeps going in the same direction and continues polluting the Earth, or it seizes the opportunity presented by photonics to propel a really sustainable future.

Antanas Laurutis is the CEO of Altechna.