ST PAUL, MN, December 2, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- From smartphones to data centers, semiconductors sit at the core of modern life. Now, with the exponential growth in artificial intelligence (AI) applications, high-performance computing and advanced memory are driving a new wave of demand for semiconductor chips — and stretching the limits of traditional manufacturing processes in semiconductor fabrication facilities, also called “fabs.”

Industry groups project global wafer-fabrication equipment spending will set new records in 2025 as manufacturers add capacity to support AI and advanced packaging, like those driven by the latest chip designs.  In addition to industry-leading trends like chiplets, hybrid bonding, and 3D integration, technologies like silicon photonics and co-packaged optics (CPOs) will reshape how chips are interconnected, driving new requirements for yield, flatness, and thermal stability. Meeting these needs requires not just new tools, but also new materials that can improve efficiency, reduce waste, and shorten time-to-yield.

“3M collaborates and innovates with our customers and eco-system partners to push the boundaries of materials science to help them unlock new efficiencies across the fab,” said Lung Lin, vice president of 3M Display and Electronics. “From cleaner, flatter surfaces for next-generation interconnects, to smarter thermal solutions, our innovations are designed to help improve process stability and deliver efficiency.  And as new technologies like silicon photonics and co-packaged optics emerge, we’re ready to help our customers integrate them with confidence.”

Materials that enable efficiency across the fab

For decades, 3M has partnered with semiconductor manufacturers to deliver advanced materials that support cleaner processes, higher yields, and greater throughput. Today, our portfolio spans multiple stages of wafer manufacturing:

• CMP materials (pads, and composite systems): Enable precise planarization — these polishing materials smooth each wafer layer so the next one can be built on a perfectly flat surface.