At fab scale, an unverified model output in routing cascades into millions of defective units.
Semiconductor companies deploy AI for design documentation drafting, process spec summarization, yield analysis reports, customer-facing product qualification docs, export control screening, and supply chain compliance narratives. Activity is 78% — the highest of any industry. EAR/ITAR export controls apply to AI-generated design documentation that crosses borders. CHIPS Act compliance requires governance evidence for funded activities. Foundry-specific requirements (TSMC, Samsung, Intel) add customer-mandated governance standards. When an AI-assisted design decision contributes to a yield excursion at fab scale, the cost is measured in millions of defective units and the root cause analysis must include the model's contribution.
What Ontic Does Here
Ontic's Refinery enforces customer-facing product qualification documentation accuracy, export control screening governance, and supply chain compliance narrative standards as deterministic guardrails. The Clean Room produces CHIPS Act compliance evidence, export control audit packages, and safety-critical component traceability records with full provenance. The governance chain extends from AI-assisted design decision through fab process to customer qualification — every link documented.
Recommended Deployment
Studio
Assists judgment
- •Design documentation drafting
- •Process spec summarization
- •Yield analysis reports
Refinery
Enforces authority
- •Customer-facing product qualification docs
- •Export control screening
- •Supply chain compliance narratives
Clean Room
Enforces defensibility
★ Start here
- •CHIPS Act compliance evidence
- •Export control audit packages
- •Safety-critical component traceability
Expansion path: clean_room (primary) | refinery for customer-facing documentation
Regulatory Context
EAR/ITAR export controls apply to AI-generated semiconductor design documentation. CHIPS Act compliance requires governance evidence for funded R&D and manufacturing activities. ISO/TS 16949 applies to automotive-grade semiconductor production. AEC-Q100 reliability standards apply to AI-assisted qualification decisions. REACH/RoHS applies to AI-generated material compliance documentation. Foundry-specific requirements add customer-mandated governance standards.
Applicable Frameworks
Common Objections
"Our design verification process catches errors before tapeout."
Design verification catches functional errors. It does not provide provenance for the AI decisions that influenced the design. When a customer qualification failure traces back to an AI-assisted routing or placement decision, the root cause analysis requires the model's contribution — not just the verification result. Ontic documents the AI decisions alongside the verification evidence.
Evidence
- →In our research, semiconductors showed the highest AI activity (78%) and highest formal governance (60%) among all 29 industries analyzed
- →CHIPS Act compliance governance requirements are being defined
- →Export control enforcement for AI-related semiconductor technology intensifying
- →Foundry customer qualification requirements increasingly include AI governance
Questions to Consider
- ?Do AI tools contribute to design decisions, process specifications, or yield analysis?
- ?If a customer qualification failure traced to an AI-assisted decision, could the company produce the model's contribution?
- ?Has CHIPS Act compliance documentation been established for AI-assisted funded activities?
Primary Buyer
VP Engineering / Chief Technology Officer / VP Quality
Deal Size
Enterprise ($150K+ ACV)
Implementation
High — Months with dedicated team
Start With
Clean Room
Ready to see how Ontic works for foundry or fabless?