According to the companies they will focus on advancing future manufacturing efforts, evolving factory operations and cybersecurity, and look to support a more resilient global industry ecosystem.
“Semiconductors are the lifeblood of our modern economies. Few things run without chips. Therefore, we’re proud to collaborate with Intel to quickly advance semiconductor production. Siemens will bring its entire cutting-edge portfolio of IoT-enabled hardware and software and electrical equipment to this collaboration,” said Cedrik Neike, CEO of Digital Industries and member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG. “Our joint efforts will contribute to achieving global sustainability goals.”
The agreement identifies key areas of collaboration to explore a variety of initiatives, including optimising energy management and addressing carbon footprints across the value chain. For instance, the collaboration will explore use of “digital twins” of complex, highly capital-intensive manufacturing facilities to standardise solutions.
Intel is looking to better compete with TSMC and is undergoing a multi-billion-dollar shift in its manufacturing operations that includes a transition to cutting-edge chip tech known as extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
The collaboration will also look at minimising energy use through advanced modelling of natural resources and environmental footprints across the value chain. To gain more information on product-related emissions, Intel said that it would be exploring product- and supply chain-related modelling solutions with Siemens that drive data-based insights and help the industry accelerate progress in reducing its collective footprint.
“The world needs a more globally balanced, sustainable and resilient semiconductor supply chain to meet the increasing demand for chips,” said Keyvan Esfarjani, executive vice president and chief global operations officer at Intel. “We are excited to build upon Intel’s advanced manufacturing capabilities by expanding our collaboration with Siemens to explore new areas where we can utilise Siemens’ portfolio of automation solutions to enhance efficiency and sustainability in semiconductor infrastructure, facilities and factory operations. This MoU will benefit regional and global industry value chains.”
Sustainable practices across the entire semiconductor life cycle, including design, manufacturing, operation, efficiency and recycling, are critical for meeting growing demand for powerful, sustainable chips.
Technology has a crucial role in terms of providing solutions that reduce computing-related climate impacts across the technology industry and the rest of the global economy.
Automation and digitalisation hold the key to addressing the challenges as the industry drives toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. By combining their strengths and expertise, Siemens and Intel said that they were looking to ‘lead the way in driving positive change’.
