Top PFAS Makers Ramp Up Production for AI Boom — SkimNews
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- ChemSec surveyed the 10 largest PFAS manufacturers and found nearly all are planning production increases at sites in Europe, Asia, and North America, driven by AI demand for semiconductor manufacturing and 'eco-friendly' datacenter cooling.
- Daikin is launching a 'datacentre hub' and promises to 'maintain and expand our top share' by expanding sales of existing fluorine products and introducing new ones.
- Arkema is building a new $60m (£44m) production unit in Kentucky to supply refrigerants for the 'rapid expansion of datacenters' cooling needs.'
- Chemours is expanding to serve 'advanced datacenters and AI hardware' with liquid cooling solutions, even as the company was recently ordered to pay $450m to settle a lawsuit over PFAS discharges.
- BASF (Germany) plans to exit PFAS production by 2028 and Archroma (Switzerland) is switching to PFAS-free alternatives — the only two clear exceptions among the top manufacturers.
- Gujarat Fluorochemicals CEO Bir Kapoor identified batteries, datacentres, semiconductors, and green hydrogen as 'sunrise sectors,' calling the opportunity 'tremendous.'
- PFAS contamination is detected in the blood of more than 99% of people worldwide, with research linking the chemicals to cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, and birth defects.
Why it matters: ChemSec executive director Anne-Sofie Bäckar warned the expansion risks undermining nascent PFAS restrictions in Europe, the UK, and parts of the US, while a Danske Bank investor note flagged escalating multibillion-euro remediation and litigation liabilities — making Chemours's $450m settlement a potential preview of what's ahead for the industry as it doubles down on AI supply.
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