SEMI Honors Semiconductor Industry Sustainability Leaders

SEMI announced recipients of the 2023 SEMI Sustainability Excellence Award. SEMI president and CEO Ajit Manocha selected the award recipients based on their inspirational leadership and innovative approaches to expanding sustainability practices at their companies and in the semiconductor industry in order to meet aggressive net zero emission goals.

The leaders were also recognized for their contributions to the Path to Net Zero session during the SEMICON West 2023 CEO Summit keynote program. The honorees will be commemorated on the SEMI Wall of Fame at the association’s headquarters in Milpitas.

2023 SEMI Sustainability Excellence Award honorees are:
• Gary Dickerson, president and CEO, Applied Materials
• Keyvan Esfarjani, EVP, chief global operations officer, GM of manufacturing, supply chain and operations, Intel Corporation
• Mukesh Khare, GM of IBM Semiconductors and VP of Hybrid Cloud Research, IBM
• Aamir Paul, president, North America, Schneider Electric

“The drive toward net zero is a challenge that requires intense collaboration across international borders and supply chains,” said Manocha. “SEMI is pleased to honor Gary, Keyvan, Mukesh and Aamir for their tremendous inspiration as the semiconductor industry works to achieve its emissions goals. Their leadership and passion are strong drivers for their companies adopting leading-edge sustainability practices, and their actions are a powerful motivator for the entire industry supply chain to follow suit.”

The recipients were selected based on their alignment with principles of the SEMI Sustainability Initiative and its focus on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) issues.

Dickerson is a longtime sustainability leader and a major contributor to the semiconductor industry’s net zero pathway. His passion for making a positive impact is reflected in Applied Materials’ vision to Make Possible a Better Future.

Dickerson champions Applied’s ESG leadership initiatives, including the company’s “3×30” program, which is aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its products, and Applied’s Net Zero 2040 Playbook, a bold framework for reducing the industry’s carbon emissions through close collaboration with Applied’s customers and suppliers.

Esfarjani leads Intel’s ambitious sustainability efforts, which include achieving 100% renewable energy, net positive water and zero waste to landfill by 2030, reaching net zero Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2040, and collaborating with suppliers to meaningfully reduce Scope 3 emissions and achieve net-zero upstream GHG emissions by 2050.

He is a consistent force in reducing Intel’s environmental footprint while driving global capacity expansion plans and calling for the semiconductor industry to accelerate its timeline in meeting climate goals.

Dr. Mukesh Khare leads a global IBM team that is redefining the future of computing for products such as generative artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing, two energy-intensive technologies. He leads teams of researchers devising new methods to process data more efficiently and accelerate the pace of progress towards sustainable quantum, AI and hybrid cloud infrastructure while advancing the industry’s drive to net zero emissions.

Aamir Paul led Schneider Electric’s partnership with Applied Materials and Intel to launch the pioneering Catalyze program. Unveiled at SEMICON West 2023, the Catalyze program promotes the adoption of a renewable and low-carbon energy roadmap for the chip sector and provides global partners in the semiconductor value chain with better access to renewable energy solutions and comprehensive decarbonization assistance.

By collaboratively digitalizing energy for efficiency and sustainability, the Catalyze program’s partners allow energy transition to be advantageous for businesses and environmentally beneficial for all.