Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today launched Catalyze, a new partnership programme aimed at accelerating access to renewable energy across the global semiconductor value chain.  Unveiled during SEMICON West 2023, Catalyze is a first-of-its kind programme of collaboration among key semiconductor and technology industry leaders to address the supply chain emissions within their industry. The programme joins other Schneider Electric supply chain partnership initiatives that seek to leverage the power of supply chain cohorts, including the Energize program for the pharmaceutical industry, and Walmart’s Gigaton PPA program.  

Intel, one of the world’s leading semiconductor design and manufacturing companies, and Applied Materials, Inc., the world’s largest semiconductor and display equipment company are the inaugural corporate sponsors of the Catalyze programme. Together with Schneider Electric, the companies will encourage suppliers from throughout the semiconductor industry ecosystem to join the Catalyze programme and help accelerate the value chain’s transition to renewable energy and a low carbon future.

As the global demand for semiconductors in consumer and commercial products increases, the carbon footprint continues to grow, making it imperative for semiconductor industry leaders to collaborate to drive greater use of renewable energy and achieve a more sustainable path to growth. The shared goal of the Catalyze participants will be to encourage the industry’s thousands of suppliers to take bold climate action through decarbonisation. This is a challenging task, due to the complexity of the value chain, data availability and reliability, and the difficulties in defining the boundaries of such emissions.  

Catalyze Programme Elements

The Catalyze programme 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 capability on their own – with the opportunity to participate in the market for utility-scale power purchase agreements (PPAs)
• Increase awareness of the availability of renewable energy in specific global regions where the semiconductor value chain is operational, to increase greater adoption
• Continue to assist suppliers who have made commitments to reduce their carbon emissions and/or sign on to this programme
• Educate companies in the semiconductor value chain about the importance of developing operational models to use in their supply chain programmes – to close net-zero ambition gaps
• Engage thousands of suppliers simultaneously through digital technology platforms, to drive swift and measurable actions in their supply chain decarbonisation
• Lead the way for the industry to drive definitive next steps. Sponsoring companies will collaborate on the development of the programme – including identifying focus areas and suppliers   – as well as encouraging other semiconductor companies to consider the programme for their own value chains

“At Schneider Electric, our purpose is to empower companies to make the most of our energy and resources, bringing progress and sustainability together for everyone. Our mission is to be a digital partner for Sustainability and Efficiency, and the Catalyze partnership programme is an excellent example of how companies in key global industries can collaborate to accelerate decarbonisation,” said Peter Herweck, CEO of Schneider Electric.

“Switching to renewable energy is an important step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Intel has achieved 93% renewable electricity in our global operations and remains committed to reaching 100% by 2030,” said Intel’s Keyvan Esfarjani, Chief Global Operations Officer. “Intel is proud to be a founding member of Catalyze to help remove barriers to choosing greener energy. Ultimately, we want our entire value chain to achieve net-zero as we continue to deliver leading technologies that power our digital world.”

“Applied Materials has been working with our suppliers to instil sustainability best practices through our SuCCESS2030 initiative, and we are excited to build on our momentum with the Catalyze programme,” said Gary Dickerson, President and CEO, Applied Materials. “Promoting closer collaboration across the value chain is key to accelerating carbon emissions reduction. We look forward to working with our partners to drive higher output of clean energy for the global semiconductor industry.”

The programme will initially focus on suppliers with energy load in specific markets in the semiconductor value chain where renewable energy is currently available, with the intention to expand globally where specific interest and renewable energy market opportunities align.