Regional Semiconductor Manufacturing Emissions Rise Will Be Lead By Asia
TechInsights' Global Semiconductor Carbon Emissions Forecast, 2025-2030 quantifies emissions from wafer fabrication in terms of carbon equivalents (CO2e).
The majority of fab capacity is in Asia-Pacific, so it follows this region is home to the majority of emissions from semiconductor manufacturing. Taiwan, South Korea, and China were the top three emitting regions overall, driven by their substantial 300mm fabrication capacities and reliance on high-carbon intensity electricity.
For perspective, using the EDGAR database; 2023 emissions from the fabrication of semiconductors translates to about 1% of emissions from the major semiconductor manufacturing regions. Which appears to be on the low end but if you look at the data on a regional level, emissions from semiconductor fabrication accounted for 16% of total emissions in Taiwan, 5% in South Korea, 3% in Japan and 2% in ROW (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Israel) in 2023. Less than 1% in China, Europe, and United States during that time.
Global Semiconductor Carbon Emissions Forecast by Region, December 2024.
TechInsights' Global Semiconductor Carbon Emissions Forecast (2025-2030) highlights the regional contribution to emissions from semiconductor fabrication. The dominance of Taiwan, South Korea, and China in wafer fabrication capacity underscores their substantial contributions to semiconductor manufacturing carbon, with shifts in regional rankings reflecting changes in production focus and technological advancements. As the semiconductor industry continues to expand advanced node capacities, particularly <4nm, regions with lower-carbon electricity grids may play a vital role in mitigating emissions growth.
