From TSMC to Samsung, Asia's chipmakers struggle to go green

TAIPEI/SEOUL -- Insufficient access to renewable energy in their home markets has left Asia's biggest chipmakers lagging behind their U.S. and European rivals in the race to cut carbon emissions.

Making chips, especially cutting-edge ones, is extremely energy intensive. But Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker, and Samsung Electronics, the world's leading memory chip manufacturer, are both struggling to shrink their domestic carbon footprints.