TSMC leads global chip makers in saving water

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chip maker, uses 5.66 liters of water for every square centimeters of wafer produced, saving several times more water than rivals in the United States, Japan and South Korea, company data showed Thursday.

For the same size of wafer produced, TSMC saves 3 times more water than manufacturers in the U.S., twice as much as those in Japan and 1.5 times more water than companies in South Korea, which are home to the world's major chip makers, TSMC data showed.

It noted one of the ways it is able to conserve water is by reusing water.

"TSMC uses each drop of water 3.5 times, and the company this year aims to increase the recycling rate to 4 times," said Tony Chen, a section official of Fab 15, one of the compmay's three facilities that produce 12-inch wafers, in Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung.

TSMC recycles 87.5 percent of its used water and produces 240,000 metric tons of recycled water every day, or 87.6 million metric tons a year, Chen said.

The company has been committed to developing new water recycling technology with the aim of making the best use of water.

TSMC also spends some NT$800 million (US$25.5 million) on water saving facilities each year, said Arthur Chuang, a section official of Fab 15.