Report Links PFAS Capacity Growth to AI and Semiconductor Demand
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The International Chemical Secretariat, or ChemSec, has released an updated analysis of major PFAS producers, reporting that most companies it tracks are expanding production capacity despite growing regulatory and litigation pressure.
ChemSec identifies AI and data-center infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing and lithium-ion battery materials as three major sources of demand. Its ranking is based on its SIN Producers List, public company documents and other data collected by the organization. ChemSec notes that production-volume information is limited, particularly outside Europe and the United States.
ChemSec is an independent nonprofit organization that advocates replacing hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives. Its classifications of substances as PFAS, assessments of companies' PFAS dependency and policy conclusions represent the organization's methodology and positions.
Several underlying capacity developments identified in the report can be verified directly through company announcements.
Chemours said in 2025 that it completed an Opteon capacity expansion at its Corpus Christi, Texas, operation and entered an agreement with Navin Fluorine International to manufacture a two-phase immersion cooling fluid beginning in 2026. Chemours said the project was intended to address cooling needs created by AI hardware and next-generation data centers.
Daikin Industries said it is constructing a new perfluoroelastomer, or FFKM, production facility at its Kashima Plant in Japan in response to anticipated semiconductor-market growth. The company said commercial supply is expected to begin in 2027.
Arkema has also expanded fluorochemical production, including a more than $60 million Forane 1233zd unit in Kentucky whose products include material for data-center immersion cooling. At the same time, Arkema says all of its Kynar PVDF production now uses non-fluorinated surfactants, illustrating an important distinction between fluoropolymer end products and the processing aids used to manufacture them.
The issue has direct coatings relevance because PVDF resins are used in high-performance architectural and industrial coatings. Arkema, for example, markets Kynar PVDF resins for factory-applied architectural coatings.
Sources: ChemSec's full PFAS producer report | Chemours liquid-cooling announcement | Daikin FFKM expansion announcement | Arkema's non-fluorinated surfactant update
Growing demand for fluorinated materials is intersecting with expanding PFAS restrictions and substitution efforts, creating regulatory, formulation and supply-chain questions for coatings manufacturers.
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