IBM Recycles Waste CPU Wafers Into Solar Panels

Luyseyal writes "IBM has developed a process for scrubbing waste silicon wafers clean, allowing the otherwise highly secret waste to be sold. The silicon quality usually necessary for solar production is very high and the cost of solar panels reflects it. Recycling this waste should help bring down the cost in the long run and add a new profit vector for chip manufacturers. The article notes that IBM has such a high profile in the chip business that this recycling tech should spread rapidly."

Comments

Re:I'll wait for AMD to do this

[mrbluze]

The silicon quality usually necessary for solar production is very high and the cost of solar panels reflects it.

Usually? So sometimes it's not necessary. Interesting. Solar production is also a pretty cool idea. We could have two suns!

I know I'm being a troll.. but I couldn't help it this time.

Re:How Much?

[Cecil]

To get energy input (and thus $/watt too) to practical levels requires a change from wafer-based technology.

No, it just requires a more efficient way to heat things to tremendous temperatures. Solar concentrators may come in handy for this purpose in the future, but at the very least they could build a solar panel farm next to the solar panel factory and use the energy directly in their current processes, which would be much more efficient.