Majority of Emissions from Semiconductor Manufacturing Come from the Fabrication of Die

Semiconductor manufacturing is a carbon-intensive process with two distinct phases: wafer fabrication, where circuits are created on a silicon wafer in a fabrication facility or "fab," and packaging, where the fabricated wafer is cut into individual "die," then packaged at an assembly and test facility. Both phases produce emissions and add to the carbon footprint of the industry. Data from TechInsights’ Packaging+ Carbon Module shows (figure below) fabrication is responsible for most emissions compared to packaging.

Emission Profiles of Five IC Products from Packaging+ Carbon Module, December 2024.

Emissions composition by source of a semiconductor does fluctuate depending on complexity of package and node processed. That said, more complex packages are associated with more die (small blocks of semiconducting material on which a given functional circuit is fabricated on typically a silicon wafer), whose emissions rapidly outpace emissions from the packaging process, resulting in emissions from semiconductor manufacturing dominating the emissions profile of IC products (a product that contains at least one integrated circuit [IC] or die and is packaged).

Semiconductor manufacturing is a highly carbon-intensive process, with wafer fabrication emerging as the dominant source of emissions relative to packaging. TechInsights Global Semiconductor Carbon Emissions Forecast, 2025-2030 quantifies emissions from wafer fabrication in terms of carbon equivalent (CO2e). While emissions can vary based on package complexity and node size, the trend is clear: as designs evolve to include more complex packages and higher die counts, emissions from wafer fabrication scale rapidly, far surpassing those of the packaging phase. Addressing wafer fabrication emissions will be essential for reducing the carbon footprint of the semiconductor industry as demand for advanced IC products continues to grow.

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