Earth Day 2025: A Progress Report on Sustainable Semiconductor Manufacturing

As global reliance on semiconductors intensifies — from AI and cloud computing to electric vehicles and advanced mobile devices — the industry’s environmental footprint is growing just as fast. With more complex process nodes, increasing electricity and water consumption, and the continued use of hazardous materials like PFAS, sustainability is no longer optional. This Earth Day, TechInsights examines both the challenges and the progress made toward reducing that footprint.

Inside the eBook, we explore meaningful strides in green tech adoption, including advanced water recycling systems achieving over 90% reuse and new strategies to enhance operational efficiency in leading-edge fabs. At the same time, we confront the critical areas still lagging, such as the slow shift toward renewable energy in major manufacturing hubs and the projected surge in carbon emissions from AI GPU demand. This progress report is designed to give industry professionals, sustainability leaders, and policymakers the insights they need to shape a more sustainable semiconductor future.

Table of Contents

1. A Look Ahead to the Sustainability of 2nm Processes
2. Rethinking Water Use: Sustainable Tech and Operational Efficiency in Fabs
3. The Persistent Shadow of PFAS: A Green Tech Challenge
4. AI GPU Growth and Its Carbon Cost Through 2030
5. TechInsights Forecast: 277 Million Metric Tons of CO₂e by 2030