Framework Proposed for Semiconductor Manufacturers to Meet EU Sustainability and Compliance Requirements
Researchers have proposed a technical framework using AI agents and secure data-sharing systems to help semiconductor manufacturers comply with upcoming EU regulations on sustainability and corporate transparency. The framework addresses a conflict between regulatory demands for transparency and companies' need to protect proprietary manufacturing data. The approach could enable factories to demonstrate compliance without exposing sensitive process information.
A new paper on arXiv presents a governance framework designed to help advanced semiconductor manufacturing facilities ("Smart Fabs") navigate converging EU regulations including the Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework, Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The authors argue that manual corporate reporting cannot keep pace with regulatory compliance demands, creating tension between transparency requirements and data privacy. The proposed solution uses "Professional Proxies"—role-based AI agents operating in hardware-isolated secure zones—to automate compliance workflows across facility, engineering, and finance teams. The system employs Virtual Metrology predictions and Federated Machine Learning within Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) to enable factories to share cryptographically signed compliance tokens without exposing proprietary manufacturing recipes. The framework is structured as an interoperable network protocol compatible with International Data Spaces (IDS) connectors.
What's missing
The paper is a preprint and does not appear to report on real-world implementation or testing of the proposed framework. No information is provided about whether semiconductor manufacturers have adopted or piloted this approach, or what practical challenges might arise during deployment.
What different sources said
- arXiv cs.AICenter
Trustworthy Smart Fabs via Professional Proxies: Scaling Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) through Industrial Data Spaces
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