ExxonMobil to begin production of 99.999% ultra-pure IPA to support semiconductor manufacturing

The company's high-purity solvent to support next generation of tech manufacturing

With the growing demand for US made semiconductors and stricter purity requirements for the latest chips, ExxonMobil is expanding its isopropyl alcohol (IPA) portfolio in 2027 to begin production of 99.999% ultra-pure IPA in Baton Rouge.

The company’s entire supply chain for IPA, from raw materials to the synthesis of the finished product, will be based in the U.S., boosting high-purity IPA production and strengthening our domestic supply chain to support American industry.

While 99.9% purity IPA is great for hand sanitizers and household cleaning solutions, next generation semiconductors need 99.999% pure IPA to avoid damaging delicate microchips. As chips evolve into smaller devices—sometimes as small as 2 nanometers, meaning 150,000 chips can fit across a grain of salt—higher IPA purity becomes essential. These chip nodes, or information hubs compressed into small devices, require ultra-pure IPA for drying wafer surfaces, reducing impurities and preventing damage. Advanced chip makers rely on this high-purity IPA to minimize defects in their sensitive circuitry.

Producing 99.999% purity IPA is the company’s next step to evolve with this market. The semiconductor chip manufacturing industry needs a reliable domestic supply of ultra-pure IPA, and the company is committed to providing it.

ExxonMobil is doing that by upgrading our Baton Rouge plant, the world’s largest plant for isopropyl alcohol1, to meet this growing demand by 2027.