KUALA LUMPUR (April 9): US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has testified that the risk of forced labour involved in the type of polysilicon used in semiconductor manufacturing is low.
On Friday (April 8), SIA testified at a hearing convened by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on methods to prevent the importation of goods mined, produced, or manufactured from regions of concern into the United States.
The hearing was convened pursuant to the recently enacted Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA), a piece of legislation that designated polysilicon — a material used to create solar panels and semiconductor wafers — as a high-priority enforcement area.
The UFLPA is a US federal law that would change US policy on China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with the goal of ensuring that American entities are not funding forced labour among ethnic minorities in the region.
SIA’s testimony highlighted the low risk of forced labour involved in the type of polysilicon used in semiconductor manufacturing.
It said the polysilicon produced in regions of concern currently does not meet the extremely high levels of purity required for semiconductor-grade polysilicon.
The global production of semiconductor-grade polysilicon is concentrated among five major manufacturers: Wacker Chemie (Germany), Hemlock Semiconductor (US), Tokuyama Corporation (Japan), Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan), and REC Silicon (based in the US, listed in Norway). Wacker Chemie and Hemlock Semiconductor account for approximately three-quarters of the global semiconductor polysilicon supply.
SIA said of these manufacturers, confirmed sources of the metallurgical-grade silicon for semiconductor-polysilicon production include the United States, Brazil, Malaysia, France, Germany, Norway, South Korea, and Australia, none of which are regions of concern.
SIA said it will continue to work with DHS, the Forced Labour Task Force, and other partners to develop and implement clear and actionable guidance that offers the predictability industry needs both to fulsomely address forced labour issues and to continue to operate this critical supply chain with as few disruptions as possible.
