Cleanroom Technology June 6, 2025 12 mins

Optimising Semiconductor Construction with AI Planning and Scheduling

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Optimising semiconductor construction with AI planning and scheduling

Frank Forsberg from ALICE Technologies discusses why it is nationally important to plan the construction of semiconductor facilities down to the tee.

The semiconductor industry is booming, with a 19.3% year-over year sales increase being seen in May 2024, according to research by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). This surge is driven by uncertainty about the domestic supply of semiconductors, as society becomes more digitalised and the UK Government pushes to increase supply on a national level. Here, Frank Forsberg, Customer Success Manager at ALICE Technologies, explains how the construction sector can help increase the supply of semiconductors through more efficient and timely construction of factories by utilising AI-powered planning and scheduling software.

Time and cost challenges

The financial stakes in semiconductor projects are high. Semiconductor developments often involve incentives from government or large investor groups that require them to be
completed in a specific timeframe. This forces construction projects to meet strict deadlines or risk losing the financial support that has been offered. These dates are critical as they enable immediate revenue generation from microchip production, which is a high priority for the UK Government.

Labour and procurement considerations

Constructing semiconductor facilities at the needed speed and scale will always lead to procurement and labour challenges as the demand for skilled and experienced people and materials increases.

One significant factor is that semiconductors must be manufactured
in a highly controlled environment to minimise product defects that would limit effectiveness. There are many unique skill sets required to build these environments and the high demand makes these skilled workers challenging to find.

In addition to labour challenges, procurement of materials poses significant hurdles. The scale of these projects demands vast quantities of materials, which can strain local resources. Project progress can often be constrained by the availability of raw materials like concrete and steel and understanding how to use those materials most efficiently once they are delivered is critical.

Meeting project targets without clashing with other large projects in the area also requires careful coordination and planning.

"As semiconductor construction comes up against so many challenges and critical deadlines, careful planning and scheduling must be carried out throughout the construction project to keep it on time and to budget. This is where AI software can help, by effectively allocating resources and prioritising tasks, ensuring that the most critical sequences are completed first."

Frank Forsberg Customer Success Manager, ALICE Technologies

Finding a software solution

As semiconductor construction comes up against so many challenges and critical deadlines, careful planning and scheduling must be carried out throughout the construction project to keep it on time and to budget.

This is where AI software can help, by effectively allocating resources and prioritising tasks, ensuring that the most critical sequences are completed first.

AI-powered scheduling tools like ALICE Technologies help clients understand the cost and time implications of decisions and make more informed choices. It ensures teams have as much information as possible about how to effectively achieve their deadlines.

Improving efficiency

With ALICE, users upload an existing baseline schedule from Oracle Primavera P6, P6 cloud or Microsoft Project, reducing the amount of scheduling information that needs to be entered manually.

Users can use the software to run AIpowered ‘what-if’ analyses to optimise their uploaded programme or model for cost, time, resource idle time, reducing resource peaks, or other objectives.
ALICE will simulate these scenarios to generate multiple feasible schedules based on the project’s optimisation goals.

The benefit of all this work is that the execution strategies, optimum
schedules and agreed risk management strategies can be taken forward for use in the construction of semiconductor fabrication sites.

Looking ahead, the semiconductor industry will continue to face challenges related to resource allocation, both in terms of materials and labour. Effective project management tools will be essential in navigating these challenges and helping to meet the growing demand for semiconductors. The continued adoption of advanced project management tools will play a significant role in addressing future challenges and sustaining global industry growth.