Hard Numbers: Thirsty industry, global economic slump, China’s contraction, India enters the fray

December 02, 2022

Semiconductor manufacturing require a lot of water.

Semiconductor manafacturing require a lot of water.

GZERO Media

264 billion: Semiconductor manufacturing is extremely water intensive. Consider that the industry consumes as much as 264 billion gallons of water per year, and by some estimates, a large chip plant can use up to 10 million gallons of water a day, equivalent to the water consumption of roughly 300,000 households.

4: The global semiconductor market is set to shrink by 4% in 2023 as tech giants cut back on investment in data centers and consumer demand for tech devices declines due to tightening fiscal policy. The Chinese economy, the largest market for chips, is also expected to shrink in 2023. Economists say that the wide use of semiconductors makes the industry a bellwether for the broader global economy.

13: US restrictions on semiconductor exports to China saw the latter’s imports contract by 13% in the first 10 months of this year. While Beijing is unable to get its hands on crucial American equipment kits needed to manufacture the chips, the drop is also due to an overall economic slump in the world’s second-largest economy.

19.5 billion: India is the latest major economy to enter the semiconductor fray, getting a $19.5 billion investment from Taiwanese chip giant Foxconn and a local conglomerate to boost its nascent chip industry. India’s first semiconductor plant is being built in PM Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat and is expected to be up and running by 2024.

Conservatives come first, far right second in German election

Christian Democratic Union party leader Friedrich Merz speaks at the party headquarters after the exit poll results are announced for the 2025 general election, in Berlin, Germany, on Feb. 23, 2025.

REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

As expected, the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, came out on top in Germany’s election on Sunday, with exit polls giving the CDU/CSU 28.5% of the vote. But the biggest celebrations were held by those supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which scored a second-place finish with 20.7%, ahead of the centrist SPD’s 16.5%, and the Greens’ 11.7%.

Musk seeks productivity lists amid federal crackdown as discontent emerges

Elon Musk holds a chainsaw onstage as he attends the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Feb. 20, 2025. The idea is that he's taking a chainsaw to the federal bureaucracy.

REUTERS/Nathan Howard

Mimicking a tactic he used to slash the size of Twitter’s workforce, White House senior adviser Elon Musk has instructed all 2.3 million federal employees to list five things they “accomplished last week" by midnight Monday. Some departments are instructing their employees to ignore the request.

Sudan’s RSF declares ‘Government of Peace,’ but war continues

Representatives of political and military groups in Sudan take part in a meeting to form a counter-government in the areas occupied by the Rapid Support Forces militia.

Reuters

After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.

The Ukraine war at three

People visit the graves of their relatives killed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A large-scale light installation "Lights of Memory" was held to mark the third anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion at the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Feb. 23, 2025.

REUTERS/Roman Baluk

Monday marks three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering Europe’s largest and deadliest war since World War II. GZERO looks at where things stand on the battlefield, the state of Western support, and who supports a negotiated settlement.

Ukraine and European security in the Trump era: Insights from Sen. Elissa Slotkin

Listen: Three years into the invasion of Ukraine, and amid the Trump administration’s rapid shift in US-Russia relations, can European and NATO allies continue to rely on the United States for support? On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer is on the ground in Germany on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference for a hard look at the future of European security with US Senator Elissa Slotkin.

Ukraine's military technology could benefit all of Europe — Deputy Minister Anna Gvozdiar

- YouTube

youtu.be

At the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine was already punching above its weight in technology—having one of the most powerful IT hubs and digitized governments in the world. Now, three years into the war, tech innovation in Ukraine has become a battlefield advantage, one that Anna Gvozdiar, Deputy Minister for Strategic Industries, says could benefit all of Europe.

Hard Numbers: Thirsty industry, global economic slump, China’s contraction, India enters the fray

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Gaza ceasefire hits a snag

The Israeli government says it won’t return 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas commits to halting the hostage “ceremonies.” Moving beyond phase one of the ceasefire is dependent upon their return.

Musk seeks productivity lists amid federal crackdown as discontent emerges

Mimicking a tactic he used to slash the size of Twitter’s workforce, White House senior adviser Elon Musk has instructed all 2.3 million federal employees to list five things they “accomplished last week" by midnight Monday. Some departments are instructing their employees to ignore the request.

Pope Francis is in critical condition

Struck by “initial, mild kidney failure” and pneumonia in both lungs, the pontiff sought to soothe his faithful on Sunday morning with a message of gratitude for letters he had received.

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Sudan’s RSF declares ‘Government of Peace,’ but war continues

After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.

The Ukraine war at three

Monday marks three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering Europe’s largest and deadliest war since World War II. GZERO looks at where things stand on the battlefield, the state of Western support, and who supports a negotiated settlement.

Can Europe defend Ukraine without US support?

Ukraine and European security in the Trump era: Insights from Sen. Elissa Slotkin

Ukraine's military technology could benefit all of Europe — Deputy Minister Anna Gvozdiar

Hard Numbers: Thirsty industry, global economic slump, China’s contraction, India enters the fray

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

More from GZERO Media

The Israeli government says it won’t return 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas commits to halting the hostage “ceremonies.” Moving beyond phase one of the ceasefire is dependent upon their return.

Struck by “initial, mild kidney failure” and pneumonia in both lungs, the pontiff sought to soothe his faithful on Sunday morning with a message of gratitude for letters he had received.

GZEROMEDIA

Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.

Monday marks three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering Europe’s largest and deadliest war since World War II. GZERO looks at where things stand on the battlefield, the state of Western support, and who supports a negotiated settlement.