Do you know how much gold is embedded in smartphones? Roughly 34 kilograms in 1 million mobile phones! Beyond gold, the value of raw materials in global e-waste was roughly US$57 billion in 2019. The good news is that advances in e-waste mining is making technology more eco-friendly and boosting materials supplies for chips. That’s what we call turning trash into treasure!
Here are more fun facts from the SEMI Foundation that help illustrate the amazing world of microelectronics and the central role of chips in our lives:
- The wiring of an integrated circuit can gobble up to 80 % of the chip's surface. A 3nm chip – about the size of a fingernail – sport about 100 kilometers (about 62.14 miles) of wiring.
- Microelectronic devices are in toasters, automobiles, wind turbines, medical devices and a mind-boggling array of other electronics. Chips are everywhere ... just like Elvis sightings!
- Microelectronics are even in cats and dogs! Think implantable pet tracking devices, smart pet accessories, RFID pet identification tags and more!
- TSMC makes roughly 90% of the world’s advanced chips that power everything from iPhones to artificial intelligence applications and electric vehicles.That’s a lot of chips from the planet’s largest contract manufacturing – and SEMI member!
- Water is critical to semiconductor manufacturing. An average chip fab today uses about 10 million gallons of ultra-pure water each day to cool equipment and prevent impurities from damaging nano-scale machinery. Fortunately, the technology behind recycling this water has vastly improved, with up to 99% of the H2O recycled, compared to 60%-70% in the 1980s. Talk about sustainability!
Do you have a fun fact to share? We invite SEMI members to share fun facts about the industry or their company. We’ll consider your tidbits for inclusion in future blog articles and or posting on social media. Complete our survey form or email semifoundation@semi.org.
Learn more about the SEMI Foundation and its initiatives to promote industry awareness and help provide a path for those interested in rewarding careers in microelectronics.
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Margaret Kindling is Senior Program Manager for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the SEMI Foundation. She promotes inclusion and diversity via Foundation activities such as Women in Semiconductors, PRIDE in Semiconductors and SEMICON West Workforce Development Pavilion programming.