CEA-Leti Launches SubFAB Labs for Chip Emissions
The industry-funded initiative will test technologies to reduce emissions and by-products from semiconductor manufacturing.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Semiconductors
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CEA-Leti has launched SubFAB Labs with International SubFAB Research Labs to evaluate emissions-reducing technologies for chip manufacturing. HORIBA and TOFWERK have agreed to join as the first partners.
Why it matters
Pressure to cut the semiconductor industry's environmental footprint is growing as the largest chip-design companies push for change. Regulation of PFAS and their breakdown products continues to evolve, adding urgency to the work.
The first phase, running for up to four years at CEA-Leti's pilot line in Grenoble, will build a database of material-use efficiency and a catalog of semiconductor process by-products. A reference monitoring system combining multiple sensor technologies will capture effluent composition and concentration, though the stub does not report measured results yet.
The players
CEA-Leti
A French research institute based in Grenoble that develops microelectronics and nanotechnology and hosts the first SubFAB Labs phase.
HORIBA
A Japanese multinational headquartered in Kyoto that makes scientific and automotive measurement instruments and joined as a Phase 1 partner.
TOFWERK
A Swiss instrument maker headquartered in Thun that produces mass spectrometry equipment and joined as a Phase 1 partner.
Edwards Vacuum
A vacuum technology company that will use the SubFAB Labs program to test real-time abatement strategies.
The details
The first phase studies gases and liquids used in semiconductor manufacturing to identify their emissions and by-products. Four additional phases beginning in 2027 will target PFAS treatment, etching, deposition, cleaning and polishing, and Edwards Vacuum will use the program to test real-time abatement strategies.
Timeline
2025: Initiative endorsed in a poster at the SEMI Google Global Executive Summit in Tokyo.
2026: CEA-Leti launches SubFAB Labs, with Dauvé set to announce it at SEMICON Europa.
2027: Four additional SubFAB Labs phases are scheduled to begin.
Market Landscape
SubFAB Labs complements the SEMI Climate Consortium and the EU GENESIS research project, forming part of a multi-layered effort to address chip manufacturing emissions. Its industry-only funding positions it as a pre-industrial testing channel alongside existing public and consortium efforts.
The initiative aims to reduce the environmental footprint of chipmaking, which could eventually affect the cost and sustainability of the devices consumers buy. The stub does not indicate any near-term change to product pricing or availability.
The takeaway
Chip emissions and PFAS use are becoming a central concern for manufacturers, and industry-funded testing is one way companies are trying to address them before regulation tightens further. Readers following semiconductor supply chains can watch the 2027 phase launches for early evidence of which abatement technologies work.
What happens next
Four additional SubFAB Labs phases targeting PFAS treatment, etching, deposition, cleaning and polishing are scheduled to begin in 2027.
Further reading
For background on the manufacturing processes behind these emissions, see more in our Semiconductors coverage.
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