The semiconductor industry is at present the juggernaut of economic growth. However, the construction of semiconductor fabs is rather complex and capital-demanding, more so in the U.S. To address the issues in this area, industry thought leaders met at the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit held in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 6-7, 2024 to discuss insights and strategies. This article addresses the major sessions/ discussions that took place at the summit. It also focuses on the partners of the event who contributed to the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit’s success.

What were the sessions at the Semiconductor Plant Design, Engineering Construction Summit?

The Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit featured a diverse lineup of sessions covering a wide range of topics. So, let us take a quick look at what these topics were and where they focused to add value:

Arizona: Home to America’s Semiconductor Resurgence

President & CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, Sandra WATSON, presented on the growth of the silicon chip market, the challenges & opportunities in building semiconductor hubs, and the advancement of semiconductor plant construction and development. The session also explored joint research initiatives and focused alliances, as well as the development of semiconductor plant design.

Challenges and Solutions in the Mega-Project Environment

Dan DORON, Vice President and General Manager of Fab Construction at Intel Corporation presented to the industry some of the biggest challenges facing the semiconductor and other Capital-intensive mega-project construction and discussed some of the most revolutionary solutions. The talk addressed the evolving construction ecosystem fueled by recovery from the global pandemic and semiconductor shortage. The session also focused on the specific problems due to the extreme growth of the semiconductor industry.

The Project Ecosystem, Commercial Strategies for Project Delivery and Leveraging Work Access approaches to facilitate

Rick DUNLAP, Vice President – Technical Services at BrandSafway, spoke on the significance of looking at how a commercial strategy can facilitate collaboration among project delivery entities in an ecosystem, as opposed to contract silos, to get to real execution risk management. Moreover, the session focused on simplification, enabling project providers to work together for a common goal, and leveraging a shared-service approach. This includes work access, etc to facilitate project delivery.

Integrating Industry and Academia: Preparing the Next Generation of Designers and Builders

This session was given by:

• Allan D. CHASEY, Associate Professor Emeritus at the Del E Webb School of Construction, Arizona State University, 
• And Lisa HOGLE, Chief Operating Officer of CREATE (Construction Research and Education for Advanced Technology Environments) and Director of the OSHA Education Center at Arizona State University

Furthermore, the speakers discussed the problem regarding workforce and experience. They also shared some ideas for integrating industry and academia. This is along with what they are doing at Arizona State University to support the advanced technology construction industry.

FIRESIDE CHAT – Environmentally Controlled Rooms

Jennifer BIRO, CEO & Owner of TECHspace got deep into discussing modular vs stick-built approach, innovations and sustainability, best practices, and dry room designs built for the semiconductor market segment.

We are North America’s leader in delivering Clean, Dry & Environmental Rooms.

Blake HODESS, Chief Executive Officer of Hodess Cleanrooms, explained the manner in which the services provided by the company help their clients from development and construction through to operation. Additionally, the presenter emphasized Hodess’s capacity as a project integrator. This is by sharing creative approaches to complicated processes of delivering projects.

PANEL DISCUSSION: Identifying Innovative Solutions for Advanced Humidity Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing Plants.

The panel discussion consisted of:

• Jason DOLLARHIDE, Director of Business Development at Hodess Cleanrooms, 
• Blake HODESS, CEO of Hodess Cleanrooms, 
• Rob SMITH, Retired from Munters Corporation, 
• And Tim LOUGHRAN, President of Cleanroom Construction Associates

Furthermore, the speakers discussed best practices in the design for efficient dehumidification in vacuum environments while meeting ISO levels. They also discussed how to design for energy efficiency, how to use CFD modeling, and how to use IoT-enabled sensors and smart control systems for real-time monitoring. Additionally, they went deep into achieving optimal design and performance of airflow. 

US Semiconductor Construction Market: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities

Katy BARTLETT, Expert Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, gave an overview of US semiconductor construction trends, construction market analytics & challenges. Moreover, the session focused on the potential areas to explore for solving these key issues. This includes Plant as a Product, Integrated Project Delivery, and Generative Scheduling.

How To Optimize Semi-Fab Delivery With AI

Juan JURADO, Sr. Director of Customer Success of ALICE Technologies, spoke about the application of generative construction scheduling technology and how it works. Moreover, the session talked about why it is essential to optimize a semifab design and construction along with strategies.  Additionally, the session dived into some case studies as to how ALICE is used by companies to optimize, de-risk, and accelerate project delivery.

FIRESIDE CHAT – What Are The Biggest Challenges In Effective Semiconductor Plant Construction Project Management and Dispute Minimization? How Can We Minimize These Difficulties

Steve ROBERTSON, PMP – Senior Manager Projects (Construction) at Wolfspeed, talked about the multiple barriers while managing a semiconductor plant construction project, and procedures for minimizing them correctly. 

Effective Semiconductor Plant Construction Project Management and Dispute Minimization

Justin GOODMAN, Vice President of Project Development at TECHspace, discussed the main causes of claims and disputes in semiconductor plant construction projects. Moreover, the speaker discussed strategies for the following:

• Conducting periodic project reviews, 
• Establishing open communication channels, 
• And addressing emerging issues promptly through collaborative discussion and negotiation.

A Path for Co-Optimizing Chip and Plant Performance

David HENSHALL, VP of a Semiconductor Research Organization, spoke about the status of chip design and process tech co-optimization trends and pondered how to involve plant design in that co-optimization. Moreover, the speaker talked about a digital twin backbone for diverse users helping in co-optimization.

Arizona- A Global Hub for Business

Fernando GARCIA, Executive Vice President of International Trade and Investment at the Arizona Commerce Authority, presented approaches to achieve maximum suitability of equipment and materials sourcing and procurement. Moreover, the speaker talked about the design, Supply, and installation of technological equipment, & how best to address the issue of equipment supply shortage.

Optimizing Compressed Air Systems for Energy Efficiency & Air Quality in Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Pat RANDALL, District Manager at Kaeser Compressors, Inc., talked about the need for combined variable speed and fixed speed compressors. This is to give maximum energy efficiency and reliability. Additionally, the speaker talked about the use of stand-alone central controllers to get the utmost out of the system’s efficiency, and energy cost of over-treating compressed air.

Centralized Project Delivery and Unified Engineering

Evann SMITH, Digital Solutions Manager at Bechtel Manufacturing Technology, and Keith CHURCHILL, Construction Manager at Bechtel, explored the impact of the application of the right technology to improve a team’s performance. This is to meet expectations, encourage continuous improvement, and achieve enhanced safety/ quality. Moreover, the speakers discussed technologies used by Bechtel and how they support centralized work delivery, integrated solutions, and Digital Twins.

Data-Driven Design: Harness Equipment Data to Unlock the Power of Design Automation

Andrew JONES, Director of Engineering Solutions at Basesite, described the application of high-tech tools to control large project data sets. Moreover, the speakers talked about using data-driven design strategies. This is to accelerate critical outputs, seamless integration for predictable execution, and design optimization through automation. 

Modular Approach to Semiconductor

Paul DARRIGAN, Director of MEP Engineering Services US at Pinnacle Infotech Inc., and Sarvesh KEKATPURE, LEED AP, Associate Director at Pinnacle Infotech Inc., discussed the development of modular approach over the years. Along with this, the speakers discussed its impact on the industry, its importance, and its challenges, as well as the potential role of AI for modular construction in the future.

Design and construction of semiconductor facilities for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

Quan HOANG, Director of Worldwide Design & Construction at Texas Instruments, described the roadmap to LEED accreditation. Moreover, the speaker talked about the significant engineering considerations in LEED design and the benefits of LEED accreditation.

FIRESIDE CHAT – Toward a Greener Future: Innovations in Sustainable Semiconductor Manufacturing

Prashant PATIL, Ph.D. -CEO Founder of Micromize, Inc. presented on the need for advanced semiconductor packaging towards addressing today’s insatiable need propelled by AI. Moreover, the speaker talked about the potential for domestic semiconductor manufacturing revival by semiconductor packaging innovation, and a novel, environment-friendly, low-investment strategy in the field of advanced semiconductor packaging.

ONLINE PRESENTATION: About Reduced Carbon Footprint of Semiconductor Value Chain: From Energy to Abatement.

Mousumi BHAT, Vice President of Sustainability Programs, SEMI, gave an online talk on shared approaches to reduce the carbon footprint of the semiconductor value chain, addressing energy and abatement.

There was also a reserved session for the cocktail networking sponsor given by Vickie SIMS, Vertical Market Leader, High Tech Manufacturing at Trane.

Event Partners at the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit

The Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit brought together an impressive array of industry leaders and specialized service providers who contributed their expertise and solutions to address the critical challenges facing the semiconductor construction sector. So, let us see how these sponsors played a vital role in supporting the event’s objectives and providing valuable insights to attendees:

Brand Safway – Gold Sponsor

Brand Safway‘s has deep experience in offering the widest range of forming, shoring, scaffolding, and work access solutions. This is for industrial, commercial, and infrastructure construction projects. Furthermore, it played a pivotal role in the demonstration of the effectiveness of efficient work access solutions. This is in enabling the construction and maintenance of semiconductor plants over the short and medium term. So, this enabled attendees at the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit to optimize their project execution and minimize risks.

Hodess Cleanrooms – Gold Sponsor

Hodess Cleanrooms is the North American pioneer in providing clean, dry, and environmental rooms. They have experience in state-of-the-art humidity control, energy-efficient design, and unified project management for semiconductor fabrication plants. So, the knowledge from the experience helped the audience appreciate the substantial value of cleanroom performance and construction optimization. This is to guarantee compliance, sustainability, and also operation efficiency.

ALICE Technologies – Silver Sponsor

ALICE Technologies, creator of the world’s first schedule optimization platform, using artificial intelligence, showed how a data-driven approach to design and automation of construction can be used. This is to streamline semiconductor fab construction, decrease the project risk, and increase the overall efficiency. So, the company provided ideas at the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit for semiconductor plant delivery complexity.

TECHspace – Silver Sponsor

TECHspace’s comprehensive approach to design, engineering, and construction of controlled environments for semiconductor facilities underscored the need for a unified, risk-managed project delivery approach. This is to provide cost and schedule confidence for sophisticated cleanroom construction. Moreover, this equipped attendees with strategies to accelerate their construction projects.

Bechtel – Bronze Sponsor

Bechtel‘s trusted expertise in engineering, construction, and project management, combined with its innovative use of digital solutions and integrated project delivery, provided valuable insights into best practices for tackling the unique challenges of semiconductor plant construction. So, this helped attendees at the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit enhance their project execution capabilities.

McKinsey & Company – Bronze Sponsor

McKinsey & Company is among the world’s most recognized consulting firms, especially for semiconductor operations. It provided a strategic overview of how to reinvent and grow a semiconductor business with insights on rising trends, challenges, and opportunities.

Kaeser Compressors – Bronze Sponsor

Kaeser Compressors is a global leader in durable and efficient compressed air, vacuum, and blower systems for sensitive applications. It shared its expertise in optimizing compressed air for semiconductor fabrication. So, attendees learned ways to improve the performance, air quality, and energy efficiency of this critical facility infrastructure.

Day & Zimmermann – Exhibition Partner

Through its long history of offering intelligent, value-based engineering solutions to a diverse array of sectors, Day & Zimmermann provided attendees with an overview of current trends and industry-leading design and construction best practices in semiconductor facility design and construction.

JH Kelly – Exhibition Partner

JH Kelly‘s expertise as a trusted partner in the semiconductor industry, with a field-first mentality and robust off-site manufacturing capabilities, provided attendees with insights into strategies for delivering complex semiconductor projects safely, efficiently, and with exceptional quality. This is even in the face of unique industry challenges.

Pinnacle Infotech – Presenting Partner

As an industry leader in the AECO industry, Pinnacle Infotech‘s BIM/VDC, engineering design, and digital construction solutions showed how innovative, sustainable, and data-centric methods can strengthen the capabilities of semiconductor plant design and construction teams.

Basesite – Presenting Partner

Basesite‘s expertise in the area of artificial intelligence-based design automation of semiconductors fabrication plant construction greatly enhanced attendees’ ability to see how technology can simplify difficult operations, manage project scopes, and increase efficiency. This is at the semiconductor plant design and delivery stages.

PPG – Lanyards Sponsor

PPG‘s comprehensive range of protective coatings and systems, tailored for the demanding environments of semiconductor plants, highlighted the importance of implementing innovative, sustainable materials and technologies. This is to safeguard facilities, enhance operational performance, and also provide a competitive edge.

TRANE – Cocktail Networking Sponsor

Trane, a global climate innovator and the provider of building technology and energy-efficient solutions presented its ability to provide customized, predictive HVAC and control solutions for commercial and industrial facilities such as semiconductor plants. This is to support attendees in reaching their sustainability and energy performance targets.

Highwire – Coffee-Break Sponsor

Highwire‘s prequalification and field applications provide advanced manufacturers and their contractors with a clear understanding of subcontractor risk. So, this demonstrated how integrated risk mitigation strategies can help semiconductor construction teams make more informed decisions and ensure successful project delivery.

To Sum Up

The Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit brought together industry experts and key stakeholders. This is to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the semiconductor sector. Moreover, the intensive discussions and insights shared at the event deepened participants’ understanding of recent developments. It also deepened the understanding of emerging technologies, and sustainable solutions shaping the future of semiconductor manufacturing.

As the industry evolves, events like the Semiconductor Plant Design Engineering & Construction Summit will play a critical role. This is in fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and also supporting the development of a more sustainable and resilient ecosystem. So, to stay informed on the latest trends and be part of future sustainability-focused gatherings, register for upcoming summits organized by Future Bridge!