Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM
In order to make information and communication technology (ICT) genuinely sustainable, environmental assessments are required that cover everything from the specific production processes to the design of entire future communication networks. Reducing energy consumption in operation or purchasing renewable, green power alone is not enough to sustainably reduce the carbon footprint generated in the production of semiconductors.
As part of the BMBF-funded project "Green ICT @ FMD", Fraunhofer IZM and its project partners are analyzing and evaluating the life cycle assessment of electronic products as well as ICT infrastructures in the three areas: sensor edge cloud, energy-saving communication infrastructures and resource-optimized electronics production.
Among other things, their aim is show how resource and energy consumption in semiconductor manufacturing can be optimized with innovative and reliable assembly and interconnection technologies, from the selection of raw materials for the production of the semiconductor substrate, through chip and PCB design, to routing and board integration.
For more than 30 years, Fraunhofer IZM has been innovating highly integrated microelectronics and contributing substantially as a research institute to making the packaging and system design of semiconductors as well as their production processes for commercial applications and critical infrastructures as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible.
As environmental experts for electronics and ICT products, the researchers from the Environmental and Reliability Engineering (ERE) department are committed to developing cost and environmental models, producing holistic environmental assessments, and drafting strategies for the longer use and reuse of critical raw materials in high-tech products. The ERE team is contributing its expertise in this area to the "Green ICT @ FMD" project and generating new momentum in tandem with the many partners on the project.
The Research Fab Microelectronics Germany has brought together and reinforced its knowledge and competences for the evaluation of "green" ICT systems in a dedicated Green ICT Competence Center, placed at the disposal as readily available and accessible services for industry partners across Germany and Europe.
