This pledge is part of the conclusions drawn from this week's joint US-EU Trade and Technology Council in Leuven, Belgium.

The statement reads: "We plan to continue working to identify research cooperation opportunities on alternatives to using per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) in chips. For example, we plan to explore using AI capacities and digital twins to accelerate the discovery of suitable materials to replace PFAS in semiconductor manufacturing."

PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals, ' has been at the heart of pollution concerns in the US and Europe. They have a broad range of industrial applications but also show up in our bodies, in food and water supplies, and—as their nickname suggests—they don't break down for a very long time.

Separately, the draft statement confirms earlier Bloomberg reports of EU plans to join the US in reviewing the security risk of so-called legacy chips in its supply chains. Legacy semiconductors are mature or lower-end chips that are essential throughout the global economy. China has poured investment into factories to increase its supply, and there are concerns on both sides of the Atlantic that this may distort the market or lead to critical dependencies.

"We intend to, as appropriate, continue to collect and share non-confidential information and market intelligence about non-market policies and practices, commit to consulting each other on planned actions, and may develop joint or cooperative measures to address distortionary effects on the global supply chain for legacy semiconductors," the draft statement reads.

As part of the TTC, the EU and the Yanks will aim to extend for three more years their collaboration on an early-warning mechanism for identifying supply-chain disruptions and a mechanism for sharing information on public support provided to the semiconductor sector.