Pragmatic study champions sustainable manufacturing for low-carbon chips
Summary
The paper finds that substituting silicon chips for fit-for-purpose flexible integrated circuits (FlexICs) can reduce energy and resource consumption, both during fabrication and in deployment. Silicon-based semiconductor production has historically had a poor environmental record, relying on vast amounts of water and energy. But Pragmatic’s innovative FlexIC production process removes resource- and energy-intensive steps, resulting in the use of fewer and safer chemicals and gases, and the consumption of substantially less water. “An additional benefit for manufacturers is the vast reduction in production times – from months to a matter of weeks.” As well as having a lower environmental footprint than silicon, flexible chips could play a key role in the circular economy, particularly in packaging recycling and reuse. “A flexible chip on a bottle of fizzy drink will contribute only 0.4 per cent to its carbon footprint,” continues Joshua, “but the added intelligence can help keep valuable resources in circulation for longer, leading to a significant reduction of overall carbon footprint across product lifecycles.”