Why semiconductor facilities need a clean continuum approach to cleanroom management
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Transcript
Across the U.S., Europe, and Asia, chipmakers are racing to expand capacity with multi-billion-dollar facilities that promise to shore up domestic supply chains and meet high-performance computing demand.1
But ambitious timelines are colliding with operational realities. Workforce shortages, regulatory complexity, and the challenge of replicating mature manufacturing ecosystems are stretching projects by years.
The delays underscore what the semiconductor industry is learning: even with massive capital and cutting-edge technology, it’s difficult to accelerate a megafab. Still, 18 new fab builders broke ground in 2025.2
Today, each must overcome:
- Multi-billion-dollar capital outlays with years before revenue begins
- Dense coordination across contractors, utilities, and cleanroom phases
- Audit-ready compliance with SEMI standards at every milestone
ABM’s Clean Continuum addresses these challenges by providing integrated cleanroom management across the fab lifecycle—from site preparation and construction clean, through pre-startup qualification and OEM tool installation, into steady-state operations with proactive maintenance.
At each transition where contamination risk spikes, ABM delivers integrated support for particle control, chemical purity, and environmental standards—partnering with EPCs, equipment vendors, and fab operators to maintain the conditions critical to project success.
By deploying a multidisciplinary, scalable workforce from groundbreaking through ramp, ABM eliminates the coordination gaps that emerge when cleanroom responsibility shifts between stakeholders.
This leads to continuous certification compliance, fewer interruptions to production (ITP), and seamless transitions that keep billion-dollar investments on schedule and producing to spec at first wafer.
Why a clean continuum approach matters
Semiconductor manufacturing operates at the smallest tolerances in industrial history. As chips shrink into sub-5nm geometries, the impact of even a microscopic particle can be catastrophic, causing costly process interruptions, contamination risks, and lost productivity.
Beyond technology, maintaining the necessary level of control requires a workforce fluent in the specialized procedures and environments that keep production uninterrupted.
By focusing on proactive contamination control and minimizing ITP across all facility functions, the Clean Continuum is how ABM ensures quality of performance and lifecycle reliability.
The evolving challenges of semconductor cleanrooms
Modern semiconductor facilities push the limits of both science and engineering. As chips shrink and complexity grows, so do the risks.
Downtime, ITP, and Audit Pressure
Every second of downtime can translate into millions in lost output (to the tune of $100k an hour).3 Facility audits, revalidations, and unplanned tool shutdowns compound those costs.
ABM mitigates downtime and ITP through a combination of proactive maintenance, predictive analytics, and continuous cleanroom management, allowing fabs to meet stringent regulatory and environmental requirements while maintaining operational continuity.
Vendor Management Complexity
Too many vendors can lead to miscommunication and compliance issues. As regulations become stricter (especially around technical systems and environmental standards), it’s essential to coordinate these services smoothly.
Skilled Labor Shortages
The semiconductor industry is facing a critical talent crisis, with estimates suggesting that up to one million additional semiconductor workers will be needed by 2030 to keep pace with expansion. Skilled cleanroom engineers, technicians, and janitorial staff are in such high demand that many fabs are investing heavily in automation, training, and workforce development.4
Obsolescence of Break-Fix Models
Traditional “break-fix” or ad hoc cleanroom service models can’t meet the constant uptime, predictive maintenance, and acute contamination control demands of today’s advanced fabs. The shift is toward integrated, data-driven, and proactive cleaning regimens supported by AI-enabled monitoring and automated maintenance.
From fab construction to decommissioning: The Clean Continuum
ABM’s Clean Continuum delivers total cleanroom and facilities lifecycle support:
- During construction, we implement clean construction practices and super-clean punch list completion to ensure your fab begins contaminant-free and ready for qualification.
- As operations ramp, our agile, multi-disciplinary teams scale quickly to meet demand without compromising cleanroom standards.
- During steady-state, we keep facilities running flawlessly, delivering end-to-end cleanroom management, cleaning, and support across water, mechanical, electrical, and gas/chem systems.
- For technology upgrades or greenfield builds, our team supports every phase, providing electrical tool installation, project and program management, and seamless execution from pre-construction through construction.
- At decommissioning or conversion, we manage safe, compliant transitions that protect people, property, and the environment.
Across every stage, ABM focuses on lifecycle reliability by keeping ITP to an absolute minimum through operational continuity and rigorous cleanroom discipline.
One partner. Fewer vendors. Better results.
Modern fabs depend on the coordination of EPCs, OEMs, contractors, and fab operators. Even small lapses in cleanroom process control can cascade across systems.
ABM’s Clean Continuum reflects collaboration across the full ecosystem, integrating cleanroom cleaning, validation, HVAC, facilities engineering, Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS), and tool installation under one accountable partner.
By unifying standards and communication across all contributing parties within the cleanroom environment, ABM eliminates redundancies, strengthens compliance, and supports predictable outcomes for every stakeholder involved in semiconductor production.
Integrated fabrication support is the future
The Clean Continuum offers a strategic framework for future-ready semiconductor operations. It delivers the level of clean environment management that’s necessary across all contributors and lifecycle stages:
- EPCs, for construction cleaning and super-clean certification prior to startup;
- OEMs, for tool manufacturing and installation within certified clean environments;
- Chipmakers, for continuous operations and proactive maintenance.
This continuum of support upholds the same rigorous standard of clean across every touchpoint in the semiconductor ecosystem. From groundbreaking to end-of-life, it’s how ABM helps clients sustain quality of performance, lifecycle reliability, and uninterrupted production.
