Swansea researchers help strengthen cybersecurity across semiconductor supply chain

Experts from Swansea University's Computer Science Department are playing a key role in an international initiative tackling growing cybersecurity risks across the semiconductor supply chain—a sector underpinning everything from national defence systems and critical infrastructure to connected vehicles.

Cybersecurity risks within the semiconductor supply chain continue to increase, posing threats to cyber resilience, intellectual property (IP) protection, and product security. As the sector expands, addressing these vulnerabilities has become a priority for governments and industry worldwide.

To support this challenge, SEMI's Semiconductor Manufacturing Cybersecurity Consortium (SMCC) has introduced the Standardized Semiconductor Cyber Assessment (SSCA)—a new, streamlined framework that enables suppliers to demonstrate compliance through a single, standardised questionnaire.

As part of the assessment, suppliers will need to provide evidence of security controls and measures in place. This evidence base is critical for establishing confidence in their ability to manage risk and comply with relevant standards.

Swansea University's Systems Security Group (SSG), working in close collaboration with SMCC, is mapping the evidence requirements needed to support assurance for the SSCA.

The project, Security Assurance of Semiconductor Manufacturing (SASM), is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through seed funding to support UK-US-Germany collaborative research and innovation in semiconductor security.

Led by Dr. Sridhar Adepu, with Professor Siraj Shaikh and Dr. Haong Nga Nguyen as co-investigators, the team is working alongside TechWorks UK and the Bavarian Chips Alliance.

Dr. Adepu said, "Cybersecurity in semiconductor manufacturing is essential to the resilience of global supply chains. Through this project, we aim to ensure that the resulting framework is practical, cost‑effective, and aligned with emerging global standards, supporting the UK, Europe, and international partners in addressing shared security challenges."

As part of this work, two workshops have been organised—one in the UK and one in Germany—to introduce the SSCA and gather feedback.

· 10 March 2026—Bavarian Chips Alliance, Nürnberg

· 12 March 2026—Computational Foundry, Swansea University, Swansea

Professor Shaikh said, "By supporting standards development and enabling global collaboration, we can strengthen national security and innovation. These workshops are essential to that goal, as they will encourage early adoption of the SSCA framework and ensure it reflects real‑world needs."

Find out more and register for the Germany workshop.

Find out more and register for the UK workshop.

Provided by Swansea University