Water-energy efficiencies: Catalyst to semiconductor sustainability

FUELLED by the explosive growth of emerging markets such as artificial intelligence and electric vehicles, the semiconductor industry – which produces the vital components that power these technologies – is poised to grow into a massive trillion-dollar industry by 2030.

At the very heart of this growth lies South-east Asia, as markets in the region actively pursue opportunities to capture higher value-add positions within the burgeoning global industry. Singapore, for one, has set its sights on maintaining its competitive edge in the semiconductor industry and securing its share of the growing pie.

However, notwithstanding the semiconductor industry’s immense potential for economic growth, its notorious thirst for water and energy stands at direct odds with South-east Asia’s climate ambitions, wherein most countries across the region have committed to carbon neutrality by 2050.