Semiconductor firms such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company are at risk of water shortages as processing technology advances, S&P Global Ratings said in a report.
"There is a direct line between water use and chip sophistication, as fabs use ultrapure water — fresh water processed to extremely high purity — to rinse wafers between each process.
The more advanced the semiconductor, the more process steps, the more water consumed," said S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Hins Li.
TSMC's water consumption per unit grew over 35% after it advanced to 16-nanometer process nodes in 2015, data from S&P revealed.
"We believe this was mainly due to the migration to advanced nodes, which require more fabrication processes," S&P said.
Persons:
Hins Li
Organizations:
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Semiconductor, Nvidia, Apple