Schneider Electric today announced that Google, ASM and HP have joined the Catalyze program, which aims to accelerate access to renewable energy across the global semiconductor value chain and IT supply landscape, as new global sponsors.
The first-of-its-kind program was first announced in July, with sponsors Intel and Applied Materials. The announcement that three more leading technology companies have now joined as founding sponsors coincides with the COP28 United Nations Climate Change Conference taking place in Dubai.
Catalyze encourages suppliers from throughout the semiconductor industry ecosystem to collaborate to transition their value chain to renewable sources of energy. Participants are encouraged to make commitments to decarbonization and take collective action through the procurement of renewable energy, leveraging the purchasing power of buyer cohorts.
The energy transition within the value chain is imperative. According to a recent study by the SEMI Semiconductor Climate Consortium, the semiconductor industry’s carbon footprint was equivalent to 500Mt of CO2 in 2021—with 16% coming from the supply chain. By transitioning suppliers onto lower-carbon sources of energy and supporting them in other decarbonization actions like electrification, the industry can make a significant impact in its overall Scope 3 emissions.
“We are delighted to welcome Google, ASM, and HP to the Catalyze program. Their decision to join supports the ambition to accelerate the decarbonization of supply chains,” said Jean-Pascal Tricoire, Chairman, from Schneider Electric. “Scope 3 emissions have proven a challenge to track and manage, but the Catalyze program enables companies and their suppliers to engage and collaborate in their energy transition and decarbonization.”
“Transitioning to carbon-free semiconductor manufacturing is critical to reducing global emissions, and no company can do it alone,” said Michael Terrell, Senior Director of Energy and Climate, Google. “We are excited to become a founding sponsor of the Catalyze program and look forward to working with our fellow sponsors and suppliers to expand the use of clean energy across this critical area of Google’s supply chain”
“The planet needs urgent and decisive action to reduce the impacts of climate change. That’s why HP has committed to cut our end-to-end value chain emissions in half this decade, while still delivering innovative technology to our customers,” said Ernest Nicolas, Chief Supply Chain Officer, HP. “We’re proud to sponsor the Catalyze program to help drive industry progress toward decarbonization of the semiconductor and IT supply chain.”
“Collaboration is critical in reducing global emissions, no one company nor one industry alone can do it all. That is why Catalyze is so important, it enables companies to come together to make one plus one equal three,” said John Golightly, VP of Sustainability, ASM. “If we tried to do this alone with our suppliers it could never equal the impact and scale of the Catalyze program, and for that we are excited to be a founding sponsor.”
The Catalyze program strives to:
- Combine energy purchasing power across the semiconductor value chain to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy projects
- Provide suppliers – who may not have the capacity on their own – with the opportunity to participate in the market for utility-scale power purchase agreements (PPAs).
- Enable any company that supplies to a Catalyze sponsor to join– across the IT supply landscape
- Increase awareness of the availability of renewable energy in specific global regions where the semiconductor value chain is operational
- Leverage numerous educational and digital technology platform engagements to drive measurable actions in supply chain decarbonization
