Schneider Electric (Korea Branch CEO: Kyung-Rok Kim), a global leader in digital innovation in energy management and automation, is embarking on a full-scale effort to build a system for decarbonizing the semiconductor industry.

At the recent Semicon West 2023, Schneider Electric unveiled Catalyze, a new partnership program designed to help build a decarbonized system across the global semiconductor value chain.

Catalize is the first collaborative program of major semiconductor and technology industry leaders to address carbon emissions in the semiconductor supply chain.

Intel and Applied Materials are the first corporate sponsors of the Catalize program.

The two companies will encourage Schneider Electric and its semiconductor industry ecosystem suppliers to participate in the Catalize program and help accelerate the value chain's transition to a renewable energy and low-carbon future.

Intel is one of the world's leading semiconductor design and manufacturing companies, and Applied Materials is the world's largest semiconductor and display equipment company.

As demand for semiconductors grows worldwide, carbon emissions continue to rise. Semiconductor industry leaders must work together to increase the use of renewable energy and achieve more sustainable growth.

The Catalyze partnership program accelerates the deployment of renewable energy projects by combining energy purchasing power across the semiconductor value chain.

Additionally, we provide opportunities for suppliers who lack their own capabilities to participate in the utility-scale power purchase agreement (PPA) market and provide training on developing operating models for sustainability.

Additionally, we support suppliers who have committed to reducing their carbon emissions and, through our digital technology platform, help thousands of suppliers take rapid and measurable action to decarbonize their supply chains.

The program will begin in specific markets with a focus on suppliers and expand globally in the future based on energy market and customer interest.

“At Schneider Electric, our goal is to empower companies to make the most of energy and resources, enabling everyone to thrive and achieve sustainability,” said Peter Herweck, CEO of Schneider Electric. “Our mission is to be the digital partner for sustainability and efficiency. The Catalize program is a great example of how companies across major global industries can collaborate to accelerate decarbonization.”

“The transition to renewable energy is a critical step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” said Keyvan Esparjani, Intel’s chief global operating officer. Intel has achieved 93% renewable electricity for its global operations and is working to reach 100% by 2030,” he said. “Intel is proud to be a founding member of Catalyze, which helps remove barriers to choosing green energy. Ultimately, we want to achieve net zero across our entire value chain as we continue to deliver leading technologies that power the digital world.”

“Applied Materials has been working with our suppliers to deliver sustainable best practices through the SuCCES2030 initiative, and we are excited to build on this momentum through the Catalyze program,” said Gary Dickerson, CEO of Applied Materials. “Fostering close collaboration across the value chain is key to accelerating carbon emissions reductions. We look forward to working with our partners to drive greater clean energy output for the global semiconductor industry.”

Meanwhile, Schneider Electric is building its supply chain by participating in the Energize program for the pharmaceutical industry and Walmart's Gigaton PPA program, in addition to the Catalize program to support decarbonization in the semiconductor industry.