Intelligent CXO Issue 06 | Page 9

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ASML opens new state-of-the-art R & D facility in Silicon Valley

ASML has welcomed employees , local public officials and the media to the opening celebration of its new campus in Silicon Valley , California . The 212,573 square-foot facility includes a Class 1000 cleanroom , lab space and collaboration areas to advance ASML ’ s holistic lithography portfolio – hardware , software and services used to generate circuit patterns on silicon in high-volume production of microchips .

It ’ s no longer enough to address the various semiconductor manufacturing steps in isolation . The Silicon Valley team cooptimises IC designs , photomasks , lithography and metrology and inspection to enhance manufacturability and yield of leadingedge semiconductors through its expertise in computational lithography and e-beam metrology and inspection .
“ As chipmakers continue to shrink the patterns to make small and powerful chips , we continue to grow to address the escalating complexities that require ever-more sophisticated approaches ,” said Jim Koonmen , Executive Vice President of Applications Business at ASML .
“ It would be impossible to manufacture at dimensions of 10nm or smaller without our software and metrology solutions , and we have a long-term roadmap to help our customers overcome their future chip production challenges .”
ASML first established its presence in Silicon Valley 20 years ago and now more than 875 employees work at the new campus . In addition , the team plans to grow 20 % in 2022 , hiring more than 180 engineers to execute its product roadmap and meet the insatiable demand for more microchips .

ExxonMobil affiliate to produce renewable diesel to help reduce transportation emissions in Canada

ExxonMobil has announced its majorityowned affiliate , Imperial Oil , is moving forward with plans to produce renewable diesel at a new complex at its Strathcona refinery in Edmonton , Canada . When construction is complete , the refinery is expected to produce approximately 20,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel , which could reduce emissions in the Canadian transportation sector by about 3 million metric tons per year . The complex will utilise locally grown plant-based feedstock and hydrogen with Carbon Capture and Storage ( CCS ) as part of the manufacturing process . of how well-designed policies allow us to leverage our existing global facilities for capital efficiency , utilise our proprietary catalyst technology and bring our decades of processing experience to develop lowemission fuels .”

The renewable diesel production process will utilise blue hydrogen , which is produced from natural gas with carbon capture and storage . Production of blue hydrogen has been shown to have substantially reduced greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventionally produced hydrogen . Approximately 500,000 metric tons of CO 2 are expected to be captured each year utilising CCS . The blue hydrogen and biofeedstock will be combined with a proprietary catalyst to produce premium low-carbon diesel fuel .
“ Canada ’ s proposed low-carbon fuel policies incentivise the development of loweremission fuels that can make meaningful contributions to the hard-to-decarbonise sectors of the economy , including transportation ,” said Ian Carr , President of ExxonMobil Fuels and Lubricants Company . “ The Strathcona project is an example
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