Semiconductors power modern life. They are found in everything from smartphones to automobiles, healthcare devices, and industrial equipment. Making the chips requires enormous amounts of power due to the precise and time-consuming nature of microchip production. Electrical costs account for 15% to 30% of the industry’s operating expenses.
Chip production is complex and protracted. It starts with the creation of a silicon wafer, followed by a lithography process that introduces circuit patterns to the wafer. Several other phases follow, which can take up to six months to complete. Any power disturbance that interrupts production is serious, ruining entire batches and potentially costing millions of dollars.
A voltage sag can result in losses exceeding $4 million. To prevent such occurrences, semiconductor manufacturers need reliable, sustainable, secure power. Production facilities rely on a redundant power infrastructure with secondary and tertiary backup systems to ensure a continuous power supply.
In a semiconductor fabrication facility, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) forms a vital layer of the critical power infrastructure. It ensures seamless continuity of power to sensitive process tools and control systems during the brief transition period between a utility power failure and the activation of backup generators. While backup systems typically take less than a minute to come online, UPS units provide clean, conditioned power for 5 to 10 minutes, safeguarding precision equipment and preventing costly disruptions to wafer processing.
Unprecedented demand for chips
Semiconductor plants are designated as critical infrastructure due to their foundational role in powering modern digital life. Virtually every digital device—from smartphones and electric vehicles to industrial automation systems and AI servers—relies on integrated circuits to function. The exponential growth of data-driven technologies, electrification of transport, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence (especially generative and emerging agentic AI) is placing unprecedented demand on microchip production.
This surge in demand has underscored the strategic importance of a resilient and geographically diversified semiconductor supply chain. Governments and private enterprises in the U.S. and
Europe are accelerating efforts to expand domestic manufacturing capacity, aiming to reduce reliance on East Asian production hubs, which currently account for nearly two-thirds of global output. As these regions ramp up fabrication capabilities, the need for a highly reliable and uninterrupted power supply becomes critical to support the energy-intensive processes involved in chip manufacturing.
Reliable and secure UPS solutions for semiconductor manufacturing
Schneider Electric helps the semiconductor industry address its energy needs by providing critical backup power with the Galaxy V family of UPSs. Galaxy V UPSs are available in modular, scalable designs that make it easier to expand capacity over time.
Schneider Electric’s Galaxy Series UPS portfolio delivers scalable, energy-efficient power protection for mission-critical applications—from edge computing and small data centers to hyperscale facilities and industrial environments. Ranging from 10 to 1500 kW, Galaxy UPS systems feature modular architecture, internal redundancy (N+1), and parallel scalability to support growing infrastructure needs. With a compact footprint, Live Swap capability, and up to 99% efficiency in eConversion mode, they reduce total cost of ownership while maximizing uptime and sustainability.
In addition, EcoStruxureTM connected for real-time monitoring and proactive management, Galaxy UPS units support flexible battery options, including advanced Lithium-ion batteries that offer double the life and faster recharge times than VRLA. With features such as Smart Power Test (SPoT), embedded Network Management Cards, and compliance with seismic and environmental standards, Galaxy UPSs provide reliable, intelligent, and future-ready power protection for the semiconductor ecosystem.
Cybersecurity: A foundational pillar for semiconductor fabs
In today’s semiconductor fabs, where precision and uptime are critical, robust cybersecurity is mission-critical. With IoT, AI, and edge computing expanding the attack surface, Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT DCIM 3.0 embeds cybersecurity into infrastructure management, delivering real-time monitoring, secure updates, and access control to safeguard data and ensure continuity.
Cyber threats can cause downtime, data loss, and compliance risks. Schneider’s defense-in-depth approach spans secure product design, robust system deployment, and managed security services. With 150+ certified products and global threat intelligence, fabs gain layered protection—covering endpoints, networks, and incident response—to keep manufacturing uninterrupted and secure.
Powering a resilient and secure future for semiconductor fabs
As semiconductor fabs scale to meet unprecedented global demand, the stakes for reliable, efficient, and secure power have never been higher. From clean, uninterrupted energy supply to embedded cybersecurity protection, Schneider Electric’s Galaxy UPS portfolio and EcoStruxure IT DCIM 3.0 platform provide the resilience and intelligence fabs need to protect production, safeguard data, and control costs.
By combining energy efficiency, modular scalability, and defense-in-depth security, Schneider helps semiconductor manufacturers strengthen operational continuity and accelerate growth in a rapidly evolving industry. As such, Schneider is helping the semiconductor industry address its power challenges by lowering power costs and optimizing and securing operations as manufacturers add capacity to meet unprecedented demand. Learn more about how you can support reliable, efficient semiconductor manufacturing with Schneider Electric’s Galaxy UPS technology.
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