A new research paper titled “Simulating Energy and Security Interactions in Semiconductor Manufacturing: Insights from the Intel Minifab Model” was published by researchers at Idaho National Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at San Antonio and George Mason University.

Abstract:
“Semiconductor manufacturing is a highly complex. Fabrication plants must deal with re-entrant flows to support multiple types of wafers being produced simultaneously, each with their own deadlines and specifications. The manufacturing process itself depends upon the ability to control and programmatically adjust a variety of environmental conditions including temperature, humidity, and air quality. In addition, wafer fabrication consumes large amounts of electricity. Emerging technologies may help reduce the energy footprint of such facilities but can introduce cybersecurity risks. Therefore, this paper presents a modeling and simulation framework to quantify tradeoffs between operational measures of performance, energy consumption, and cybersecurity controls. We augment the Intel Minifab model, with the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture (PERA) for cybersecurity as well as tool-level energy consumption data from a real-world semiconductor manufacturing testbed. In this manner, we intend to provide stakeholders with a systematic, data-driven approach to evaluate emerging risks within the manufacturing process.”

Find the technical paper here and here. Published November 2022.

Citation: Weaver, Gabriel A, Hasenbein, John J., Kutanoglu, Erhan, Martinez-Medina, Gonzalo, Shusko, Jacob William, Castillo-Villar, Krystel K., and Costa, Paulo Cesar. Simulating Energy and Security Interactions in Semiconductor Manufacturing: Insights from the Intel Minifab Model. United States: N. p., 2022. Web.