Portfolio

Texas Instruments’ RFAB is the world’s first LEED-Certified Fab and is among the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the world. Its been lauded as a landmark example of how advanced technology can allow a U.S.-based semiconductor producer to stay competitive with manufacturers in lower-cost locations such as Asia.

 

When Texas Instruments began planning to build a new 1.1 million square foot wafer fab complex in Richardson, TX it had to be competitive with manufacturers in lower-cost locations around the world.  Wafer fabs, which produce semiconductors used in a myriad of electronic devices, are enormous factories and therefore consume a large amount of resources. At $3 billion dollars each to fully build and equip, they are also quite a large investment. In order to keep this fab in the US the TI design team was challenged with a 30% capital cost reduction goal. 

 

The TI team chose data and analysis over “rules of thumb” and “standard” designs. By continuing to drill down into issues and understand the root of problems they were able to make a number of fundamental changes to how fabs are designed. The desire to score another LEED point kept everyone energized to keep digging for a solution. 

 

Among other items that contributed to an energy saving and sustainable building, that ultimately achieved LEED Gold, the project included a full Therma-Fuser system throughout the three-story 220,000 sqft administration building.