Environment

Why Intel and TSMC are building water-dependent chip factories in one of the driest U.S. states

Published

4 years ago

June 7, 2021

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Electric vehicle being driven through Arizona desert

The biggest semiconductor manufacturers in the world are quickly trying to build new factories as the global chip crisis continues to wreak havoc on a plethora of industries.

U.S. semiconductor giant Intel announced in March that it plans to spend $20 billion on two new chip plants in Arizona. Separately, TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) said it was going to build a $12 billion factory in Arizona, and chief executive C.C. Wei said Wednesday that construction had already begun.

The Grand Canyon State may not, however, seem like the most obvious place for a chip “foundry” or “fab” since the high-tech manufacturing plants guzzle millions of gallons of water every day.

At present, in the face of climate change, Arizona is facing a deepening water crisis and some of the state’s all-important aquifers have an uncertain future.

Arizona received just 13.6 inches of rainfall on average per year between 1970 and 2000, according to the NOAA National Climatic Data Center, making it the fourth driest state nationwide. Conversely, Hawaii and Louisiana recorded the highest levels of average yearly precipitation in the U.S. over the same time frame, reporting 63.7 inches and 60.1 inches, respectively.

“Water is a key element in semi manufacturing, but the infrastructure has been put in place [in Arizona] to ensure adequate supply to meet the industry’s current needs,” Alan Priestley, vice president analyst at tech research firm Gartner, told CNBC.

A key consideration of any new construction would most likely be contributions to enhancing the water supply infrastructure, he added.

Glenn O’Donnell, vice president and research director at analyst firm Forrester, told CNBC that chip fabrication plants “recycle water religiously,” adding that it’s a bit like a swimming pool in an enclosed building.

“You need a lot to fill it, but you don’t have to add much to keep it going,” he said. “Also, being in an enclosed space, a lot of the water that evaporates can be captured with a dehumidifier and returned to the pool. The fabs will do similar things with their own water usage.”

Intel notes on its website that it is striving to achieve “net positive water use” in Arizona and that it has funded 15 water restoration projects that aim to benefit the state. “Once fully implemented, these projects will restore an estimated 937 million gallons each year,” the company says.

Beyond water

TSMC and Intel, two of the biggest heavyweights in the chip industry, have chosen to expand in Arizona for several other reasons, according to the analysts.

Intel has had a presence in Arizona for over 40 years and the state is home to a well-established semiconductor ecosystem. Other major chip companies with a presence in Arizona include On Semiconductor, NXP and Microchip.

Intel now employs over 12,000 people in Arizona and the state is home to Intel’s newest manufacturing facility, Fab 42.

As Intel has increased its presence in Arizona, the local universities have “established a strong reputation for semiconductor design courses and research providing a highly-skilled work force for the local semi industry,” Priestley said. “This has helped create an ecosystem of companies to supply the products and services necessary to manufacture chips.”

TSMC will be “able to tap into these resources and [the] ecosystem of supply chain vendors,” Priestley said.

Local tax breaks and incentives “will have played a big part” in the initial site selection, he continued, noting that land availability, land costs, housing costs and the local economy will have also been considered.

Seismically stable

The case for Arizona doesn’t stop there. Its seismic stability and relatively low risk of other natural interference are appealing to chipmakers, O’Donnell said.

“A chip factory cannot shake, not even a microscopic amount,” he said, adding that they set such factories into the bedrock to keep them still. “Even a 0.5 Richter shake can ruin an entire crop of chips.”

That said, Intel does have some chip plants on the West Coast of the U.S., where the ground is more susceptible to earthquakes. The company has a huge presence in Hillsboro, Oregon, for example.

“The West Coast does have fabs but they need to take great measures to isolate the shaking,” said O’Donnell. “They don’t need such drastic measures in Arizona because it shakes a lot less.”

Arizona is also immune from most other natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires, O’Donnell said.

With its bountiful sunshine, Arizona also boasts “dependable, plentiful and green electrical power,” O’Donnell said, calling out Salt River Project as a local power utility in the Phoenix area that caters to big consumers of power. A chip foundry needs power on the scale of a steel plant, according to O’Donnell.

Ultimately, it largely boils down to politics.

“The political machinery in Arizona is determined to make the state business friendly,” said O’Donnell. “More business equals more and better jobs equals more votes to the power brokers. The recent announcements by Intel and TSMC come via a lot of help from federal, state and local government entities.”

Environment

Solar + nuclear to surge in Middle East as electricity demand soars – IEA

Published

10 hours ago

September 18, 2025

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Solar + nuclear to surge in Middle East as electricity demand soars – IEA

Electricity demand is skyrocketing across the Middle East and North Africa, and it’s being driven by two big factors: cooling homes and businesses in extreme heat, and making seawater drinkable through desalination. A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows just how dramatic the surge is. Electricity use in the region has tripled since 2000, and it’s expected to jump another 50% by 2035. That’s like adding the current combined electricity demand of Germany and Spain.

Cooling and desalination alone are expected to account for about 40% of that growth over the next decade. Urbanization, industrialization, the electrification of transport, and the boom in data centers are also adding to the load, according to the IEA’s report, “The Future of Electricity in the Middle East and North Africa.”

Right now, natural gas and oil overwhelmingly dominate power generation in the region, making up more than 90% of electricity supply. But that mix is changing. Many countries, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq, are trying to reduce oil-fired power to free it up for export. The IEA says natural gas will likely cover half the demand growth through 2035, with oil’s share falling from 20% today to just 5%.

Renewables are on the rise, too. Solar capacity is set to increase tenfold by 2035, growing by 200 gigawatts (GW), which would boost renewables’ share of the electricity mix to around 25%, up from 6% in 2024. Nuclear power is also expected to triple over the same period.

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“Demand for electricity is surging across the Middle East and North Africa, driven by the rapidly rising need for air conditioning and water desalination in a heat- and water-stressed region with growing populations and economies,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “To meet this demand, power capacity over the next 10 years is set to expand by over 300 GW, the equivalent of three times Saudi Arabia’s current total generation capacity.”

Meeting that demand won’t come cheap. Investment in the power sector hit $44 billion in 2024, and it’s projected to grow another 50% by 2035. Nearly 40% of that spending is expected to go toward upgrading grids, which currently suffer losses that are double the global average.

The IEA says grid upgrades and stronger regional interconnections will be critical for electricity security. Balancing renewables will also require more energy storage, demand-side flexibility, and enough gas-fired plants to cover when solar and wind aren’t available.

Energy efficiency improvements could ease some of the strain. For example, air conditioners in the region are less than half as efficient as those in Japan. Upgrading the ACs alone could cut peak demand growth by an amount equal to Iraq’s entire current power capacity.

If countries move more slowly on diversifying their power mix, according to the report, the stakes are high. Carbon dioxide emissions would continue to rise, and oil and gas demand for electricity could increase by more than a quarter by 2035, cutting export revenues by $80 billion and raising import bills by $20 billion.

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Environment

Hyundai wants to kill off this popular EV design trend, and I have to agree

Published

17 hours ago

September 17, 2025

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Hyundai wants to kill off this popular EV design trend, and I have to agree

Is it just me, or do too many new vehicles look about the same? Hyundai believes it’s time to end a popular trend that nearly every EV has nowadays.

Hyundai looks past the LED lightbar for new EV design

The LED light bar has been around for a while. In the early 2000’s Xenon headlights were the hit trend, offering much brighter light while consuming less energy.

Although it was initially mainly found on luxury vehicles, Hyundai was one of the first to jump on the trend, working to make it more widely available at a lower cost.

Over the past few years, the trend has evolved into a thin LED light strip stretched across the front and sometimes the rear of the vehicle.

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Since most brands are slapping it on electric vehicles, it’s become almost a status symbol of the EV movement. In early 2023, Hyundai revealed the new “EV-derived, futuristic” design for the Kona Electric, placing a heavy emphasis on the front LED lightbar.

Nowadays, nearly every vehicle, EV or gas-powered, has the popular design feature. Even Tesla hopped on the trend with the new Model Y, Model 3, and Cybertruck.

According to Hyundai’s design boss, Simon Loasby, LED lightbars are “almost at the end of their journey.” After unveiling the new Concept Three at the Munich Motor Show last week, Loasby explained to Car Magazine on the sidelines, “When is the time you need to let go [of light bars], it’s almost like the end of that.”

Although Hyundai recently added the lightbar to the Grandeur, Kona, and Sonata, Loasby said he’s “seen enough.”

“It worked at the time, and it was absolutely right, the Grandeur was the first car with a one-piece structure. The biggest thing is the cost level, you just can’t afford to do it and some customers don’t need it,” Hyundai’s design chief explained.

Hyundai IONIQ 9 (Source: Hyundai)

In China, “you must have it,” Loasby said, but in other markets, like Europe and the US, it’s not needed. Hyundai is instead focusing on differentiating itself with its unique pixel lightning, found on the IONIQ EV models.

Hyundai has already had a few copy its design, notably the Fiat Grande Panda, which Loasby joked, “thanks for copying, thanks for being inspired by us.”

It may be time for a shake-up. Loasby said, “I think we are almost at the end of journey in terms of lighting. It’s almost like chrome.”

Hyundai’s new Concept Three, which is expected to launch as the IONIQ 3 in production form, did not feature a full LED lightbar. Instead, it had an updated pixel lightning design.

Electrek’s Take

I have to agree with Loasby on this one. I must admit that at first, I was a fan of the sleek look of a nice, slim lightbar, especially at night.

The more I see it, the more it reminds me of a Toyota now. And that’s nothing against them (It is the world’s largest automaker), but should a Tesla Model Y, or even a Porsche 911, look the same as a Toyota from the front? I’ll let you determine that one.

I drive a 2023 Tesla Model 3, the last of the pre-facelift version, and was pretty bummed to see how cool the updated Model 3 looked at first. The more I see them, though, the more I like the design of the first-gen Model 3 and its wide eyes. It’s unique. Now, the Model 3 looks like any other vehicle, at least, in my opinion.

Is it time to put an end to the LED lightbar? Let us know how you feel about it below.

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Environment

Eat Culver’s frozen custard + fast charge your EV in Wisconsin

Published

19 hours ago

September 17, 2025

admin

Eat Culver's frozen custard + fast charge your EV in Wisconsin

Zero 60, an EV charge point operator on the ChargePoint network, is bringing fast charging to a Culver’s in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The company, founded by Faith Technologies Incorporated (FTI), will install a renewable-powered charging station in Rhinelander.

The new site sits along a state-designated Alternative Fuel Corridor at Culver’s on 620 W. Kemp St. It will feature four 160-kilowatt charging ports, giving EV drivers in northern Wisconsin reliable fast charging well beyond the state’s urban hubs.

The project is backed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s first round of funding from the Wisconsin Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (WEVI) program. Wisconsin wants to ensure EV drivers can confidently travel north, knowing they won’t be stranded without chargers.

“Partnering with a well-known brand like Culver’s gives us a unique opportunity to combine Midwest hospitality with clean, convenient charging,” said Wade Leipold, executive vice president of FTI. “We’re proud to support Wisconsin’s efforts to build a robust, future-ready charging network that serves communities and travelers alike.”

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Zero6 Energy is financing, owning, and operating the station, while FTI is handling the engineering, design, installation, and ongoing maintenance. Zero 60 already operates nine charging sites and has plans for many more across the US, with the first wave of stations installed in New York, California, Colorado, and Wisconsin, and more currently being developed in other states.

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