US and EU to harness artificial intelligence to find alternative chemicals for chip production

The European Union and the United States have announced plans to use artificial intelligence and digital twins to speed up the search for replacements for harmful chemical compounds used in the manufacture of semiconductors.

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The initiative was announced on the sidelines of the joint US-EU Trade and Technology Council taking place these days in Leuven, Belgium.

"We plan to explore the use of AI capacities and digital twins to accelerate the discovery of suitable materials to replace per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in semiconductor manufacturing" said in a statement.

PFASs, also called "perpetual chemicals" because of their extremely slow decay, are toxic and raise serious pollution concerns. Nevertheless, they are widely used in industry, including chip manufacturing.

Finding safe alternatives to PFASs is becoming a priority in US-EU high-tech co-operation. The parties expect AI and advanced modelling to help accelerate this process.

In addition, according to the draft statement, the EU will join US efforts to assess risks in the supply chains of so-called "obsolete" semiconductor components and develop measures to reduce dependence on other players.

Source: Bloomberg