GENESIS in the Spotlight: Rethinking Microchip Sustainability
We’re excited to share that the GENESIS project — a pioneering European initiative for sustainable semiconductor manufacturing — has been featured in Innovation News Network in an article titled “GENESIS: Rethinking microchips production for a sustainable future”, written by Jack Thomas and published on 11 August 2025.
The feature highlights how GENESIS is tackling the semiconductor industry’s most pressing environmental challenges — PFAS pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, and reliance on critical raw materials — while ensuring Europe’s microelectronics sector remains both competitive and sustainable.
What is GENESIS?
GENESIS launched in May 2025 under the Horizon Europe programme. It’s a three-year Chips JU flagship project, co-funded by the EU, participating Member States, and the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
Led by CEA-Leti in France, the project brings together 58 partners from across Europe. This includes major industry players, research organisations, small and medium-sized enterprises, and environmental specialists. The goal is simple but ambitious: develop technologies that make semiconductor manufacturing cleaner, more efficient, and better for the planet.
Four Pillars Driving Change
GENESIS focuses its work around four main areas:
Monitoring and sensing – Tracking air and liquid emissions in real time to keep fabs as clean as possible.
New materials – Finding PFAS-free, low-global-warming-potential alternatives for advanced chipmaking.
Waste minimisation – Creating closed-loop systems that recycle gases, solvents, and slurries instead of discarding them.
Critical raw materials mitigation – Using less of scarce resources like gallium and indium, and finding ways to reuse what’s already in the system.
From Concept to Reality
GENESIS isn’t just designing solutions. The team is testing them in real industrial settings. These pilots will show if the innovations work at scale and deliver measurable environmental benefits.
Why it Matters
Microchips are in almost everything we use, from smartphones to solar panels. But making them takes energy, water, and materials that can be hard to source responsibly. GENESIS is proving there’s a better way — one that aligns with the European Green Deal, the Critical Raw Materials Act, and evolving EU semiconductor policies.
Laurent [Surname], GENESIS Project Coordinator at CEA-Leti, puts it simply: GENESIS is about building a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem that Europe can be proud of.
Read the full feature
You can read the complete Innovation News Network article here: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.innovationnewsnetwork.com%2Fgenesis-project-rethinking-sustainable-microchips-production%2F60637%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cichaki%40semi.org%7C0d9e7f0066b2427ebcd108ddd8d993d2%7Ccca80bdd74bd4f178e6deecd0bac5a02%7C0%7C0%7C638905151516817424%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jkQg1wJyJcJgK%2BRtgUH0ToeNUGfHIj%2FL14%2BsjRnR9Iw%3D&reserved=0
Stay Connected!
GENESIS is committed to openness, collaboration, and progress sharing. Over the next 36 months, we will publish regular updates, results, and stories that highlight how this project is shaping the future of sustainable semiconductor manufacturing.
🛰️ Follow our journey via #GENESISEU on LinkedIn and X
🌐 Website updates, publications, and partner features coming soon
📌 GENESIS is more than a research project—it’s a collective commitment to innovation with impact. Together, we’re building a greener, smarter future for semiconductors in Europe.
