How does the semiconductor industry contribute to the “green and low-carbon” goal?

Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality have become topics of global concern. The "Strategic Plan for Expanding Domestic Demand (2022-2035)" recently released by the State Council mentioned in many places that it is necessary to "vigorously advocate green and low-carbon consumption and promote the development of high-end, intelligent, and green manufacturing." The development of semiconductor technology is an important driving force for creating a green and low-carbon society. At the same time, the semiconductor industry itself is also actively pursuing greening and low-carbonization, and is an active practitioner of the strategic goal of carbon neutrality.

Jean-Louis CHAMPSEIX, Vice President and Head of Corporate Sustainability at STMicroelectronics, will discuss how the semiconductor industry contributes to the country’s “green and low-carbon” goals.

1. In what ways can integrated circuit technology (such as 5G, edge computing, power semiconductors, etc.) contribute to the green and low-carbon development of the social economy?

Jean-Louis CHAMPSEIX: The purpose of ST's R&D products is to create a sustainable world and to carry out R&D activities in a sustainable way. We believe technology can play a key role in helping the world solve environmental and social challenges. Therefore, we are optimistic about the development prospects of "responsible products" because these products can improve people's quality of life or user experience while minimizing environmental impact.

Generally speaking, power devices with higher conversion efficiency, that is, less energy consumption, are a huge help for the economic transition to low carbon. We can see it in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, infrastructure, and all application fields that use power devices. to this impact. Taking radio frequency signal transmission as an example, the lower the power consumption, the higher the energy efficiency. Power conversion efficiency is critical to the spread of new energy applications such as solar and battery power.

2. Wide bandgap semiconductors are generally considered to have the advantage of saving energy and electricity. With society as a whole advocating low-carbon and green development, how do we anticipate its prospects?

Compared with silicon-based power devices, groundbreaking wide-bandgap semiconductors switch faster, can achieve higher conversion energy efficiency, and can handle larger currents and voltages. Therefore, in solar panels, wide bandgap devices support more solar cells and higher power, improving the cost advantage of solar panels. In the past, the controller of a solar panel was installed separately from the rest of the components, but now it can be installed inside the panel. This improves reliability and energy efficiency while also reducing price.

As low-carbon actions continue to unfold, the market demand for renewable energy and supporting infrastructure is increasing. In this ongoing transformation, the semiconductor industry is proving the importance of semiconductors to the development of the emerging clean energy economy and is inspiring developers to innovate and develop safe, scalable, and reliable energy solutions.

3. Currently, the integrated circuit industry has entered a downward cycle. Will the country's promotion of low-carbon and green development help pull the integrated circuit industry out of its trough?

Jean-Louis CHAMPSEIX: It definitely helps. China's green development resonates with STMicroelectronics' efforts to help chip manufacturers provide low-carbon solutions. Among them, by empowering vehicle electrification and related supporting infrastructure, STMicroelectronics helps the world transform from traditional fuel vehicles to smarter and more environmentally friendly travel solutions.

The second key driver of support for low carbon relates to energy, particularly renewable energy. We help the world transition to greener energy, using wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) to develop high-power, energy-efficient power devices that reduce the cost of solar panels, wind turbines and smart grids. energy conversion loss.