AMD expands global climate protection plan

AMD plans to cut emissions by 33 per cent by 2010

AMD has unveiled its eighth annual Global Climate Protection Plan (GCPP), outlining the company's green goals for the coming year.

The new report details how the company plans to cut normalised greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent and normalised energy usage by 40 per cent by 2010, relative to a 2006 baseline year.

Between 2002 and 2007 AMD beat its target to reduce normalised greenhouse gas emissions in its operations by 40 per cent and normalised energy consumption by 30 per cent.

The normalisation factor referred to by the chip maker is derived from the number of wafers processed, the complexity of the fabrication process and the wafer size.

AMD has also announced that it is now trying to quantify and estimate its indirect environmental impact, by examining such areas as business travel, the supply chain and product distribution.

"Transparency and collaborative innovation are hallmarks of AMD's approach to global climate protection, and represent a fusion of our efforts married to the industry's best practices, such as supply chain accountability," explained Dirk Meyer, president and chief executive officer of AMD.

Meyer hopes that by sharing its strategy and performance metrics other organisations will be able to use the experience of his company to further their own green initiatives.

AMD is also converting its fabrication plants to make them more thermally efficient in order to cut emissions and energy use.