A Greener Future through Innovation Today

The idea of “going green” has been on minds of consumers and enterprises for nearly a decade now. From The New Energy World survey conducted by Accenture1 in 2010, it was revealed that three out of four consumers are concerned by energy and climate change issues. Thus, it is not unusual to find consumers being more conscious about recycling, saving energy and reducing their carbon footprint; whereas semiconductor companies are focusing on the real, tangible effects of energy saving.

Innovation is the hallmark of semiconductor technology. From the first battery-powered transistor radios and calculators of the 1950s to the all-encompassing digital revolution of the late 20th century, engineers are forever finding new ways to do the impossible with silicon.

There has always been an innovation driver, a particular application or product type that demanded new ways of thinking, communicating and - in the case of integrated circuits (IC) - fabricating. Consumer electronics, computers, and communications have taken turns in requiring the quantum leap from today’s technology to that of tomorrow.

For most of its short lifetime, the semiconductor industry’s marching orders have been determined by the consumer’s insatiable demand for ICs that were faster, better, and cheaper. But beginning in the last decade of the 20th century new consumer themes such as greener, healthier and smarter began merging with the old, producing a surprising result.

Singapore’s own electronic industry has seen strong growth and industry transformation. According to a recent report by the EDB Singapore’s semiconductor industry posted a nominal growth of 49.8%, outpacing the global semiconductor industry’s 32.5% growth in 2010. As a result, Singapore’s manufacturing output share of global semiconductor revenues increased from 11.2% in 2009 to 13.5% in 2010.2

Innovation change
With every leap, all that went before was prelude; and never is that more true than with today’s great innovation drivers: Green products and eco-engineering.

More than ever before, the new innovation space demands the seamless merging of the two formerly separate design domains of analog and digital into a mixed-signal domain.

The innovation ladder

In addition to adding a new dimension to virtually every product type, eco-engineering is also the confluence of much of the innovation that has gone before. Low-power energy technology, high performance computing and wireless communications have at last found perfect synergy: they make eco-engineering possible. But there are other slightly more nuanced aspects of eco-engineering as well, ones that make advanced eco-engineering possible. These technologies meld the digital and analog domains and include high-performance mixed-signal fabrication technology, advanced packaging technology, mixed-signal design expertise, and system-level application knowledge gained over decades of serving multiple industries.

The gathering storm of global environmental issues also makes eco-engineering inevitable.

Consumer awareness
Consumers are aware of their ecological footprint and its implications and they have been adjusting their buying decisions with societal issues in mind.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the phenomenal success of hybrid and electric vehicles. Manufacturers cannot make them fast enough. According to Global Insight (Hybrids Report 2009), the hybrid car global production was growing over 77% in 2009 and the forecast for 2010 is more than 106% growth.

Consumer preference for energy-efficiency also extends to appliances. Surveys of leading home builders in the U.S., for example, have found that 70 percent of prospective home buyers want
energy-efficient appliances.

Government action
Governments all over the world are also pushing the environmental movement forward by enacting laws, regulations and energy efficiency goals to reduce carbon emissions and moderate other environmental consequences of energy overuse. According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), green technology is set to be Asia’s main driver to fuel continuous growth and to reduce its reliance on industries and markets in the West. Since 2009, China has invested more than 34.6 billion dollars per year in green industry, an amount which is expected to grow in the coming years. 3

In a recent statement, Damian Chan, Director of Electronics at the Singapore Economic Development Board said that, ‘The Singapore Government is aiming for a 35-percent overall improvement in energy efficiency from 2005 levels by 2030.’4

Since Singapore identified the Clean Energy industry as a strategic growth area for the economy in 2007, the city-state began to implement a comprehensive infrastructure to grow the industry, starting with an initial funding support of S$350 million from the government. Singapore's clean energy push centres on solar energy with resources also being channelled towards wind energy, electric mobility, smart grids, biomass, fuel cells, energy efficiency, and carbon services. By 2015, the clean energy industry is expected to contribute S$1.7 billion to Singapore's gross domestic product and employ around 7,000 people. 5

Because semiconductors have found their way into virtually all advanced technologies, it is only logical that they can play a vast and effective role in reducing the footprint of technology on the environment. The time is ripe for the public and private sectors around the world to collaborate and ensure a ‘greener’ sustainable future.

Sources:
1 - Accenture – The New Energy World Survey
2 - EDB
3 - Asia Pacific Business & Technology Report
4 - EE Times Asia
5 - EDB 

Mr. TL Chow, Vice President, Regional Manager South Asia Pacific, NXP Semiconductors