Taiwan’s TSMC rolls out power-saving program

台積電推行動態節能計劃

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC said Tuesday that a new energy-saving program for its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography tools could reduce equipment power consumption by 8% each year.

The world’s largest chipmaker said it began rolling out the initiative at Fab 15B, Fab 18A, and Fab 18B, per CNA. All of TSMC’s EUV equipment worldwide will adopt the measures by the end of this year, with cumulative savings projected to reach 190 million kWh by 2030 and cut carbon emissions by 101,000 metric tons.

TSMC said the project was launched last year with equipment suppliers, lowering peak power consumption of EUV tools by 44%. It also introduced automated mechanisms to keep energy use down while ensuring stable output.

The company also partnered with suppliers to optimize fan filter units in cleanrooms, boosting efficiency from 55% to over 60%. Tests showed a single fab could save 1.56 million kWh annually, reducing emissions by about 805 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

So far, about 44,000 units of the new fan filter system have been installed at Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Fab 20, Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Fab 22, and Phase 1 of Advanced Backend Fab 7.

TSMC has also introduced coolant recycling technology to recover refrigerants that would otherwise be discarded. The system, already in use at several 12-inch fabs in Taiwan, is expected to cut carbon emissions by around 40,000 metric tons a year.