EU Hardware Sovereignty

EU hardware sovereignty means designing, manufacturing, testing, and maintaining the entire lifecycle of electronic hardware within the European Union — free from dependence on non-EU suppliers, fabrication facilities, or cloud infrastructure. This is critical for defense dual-use systems and critical infrastructure security.

Inovasense is an EU-based custom hardware and IoT electronics developer guiding clients toward maximum supply chain independence. While a 100% EU-only BOM is the ultimate ideal, practical reality often requires global sourcing. We support our clients in finding and mastering the best options on the path to this intention — prioritizing EU alternatives where available, and managing risk where global dependencies remain.

Why EU-Based Hardware Development Matters in 2026

The EU regulatory environment for electronics is the most comprehensive in the world. Between 2024 and 2027, five major regulations will fundamentally change how connected products are designed, manufactured, and sold in Europe. An EU-based development partner understands these regulations natively. We help you navigate the trade-offs between strict sovereignty and commercial viability, designing architectures that maximize compliance while acknowledging supply chain realities.

2026 Regulatory Landscape

Regulation	Code	Effective	Requirement	Impact on Hardware
GDPR	EU 2016/679	2018	Data protection by design (Art. 25)	Local processing, encryption, access control
Cyber Resilience Act	EU 2024/2847	2027 mandatory	Cybersecurity for all connected products	Secure boot, SBOM, 5-year vulnerability management
NIS2 Directive	EU 2022/2555	Oct 2024	Supply chain security	Secure development lifecycle, incident response
RED Delegated Act	2022/30	Aug 2025	Cybersecurity for radio equipment	Authentication, secure boot, update mechanisms
EU AI Act	EU 2024/1689	2025–2027	Risk-based AI governance	Conformity assessment for high-risk AI hardware
EU Chips Act	EU 2023/1781	Active	Semiconductor sovereignty	EU chip design incentives, crisis monitoring
CBAM	EU 2023/956	2026 full	Carbon border adjustment	Carbon cost reporting for imported components
Ecodesign (ESPR)	EU 2024/1781	2025–2030	Sustainable product design	Digital Product Passport, repairability, recycled content
Right to Repair	EU 2024/…	2025	Repair access and spare parts	Modular design, repair documentation, spare parts availability
REACH & RoHS	Ongoing	Ongoing	Material restrictions	Full material traceability, SCIP database reporting

Supply Chain Independence

Our tiered supply chain strategy includes:

• Sovereignty First — We prioritize EU/EFTA components for critical subsystems (security, power, comms), including European FPGAs (NanoXplore, etc.).
• Strategic Multi-Sourcing — Where EU alternatives are unavailable, we qualify trusted global suppliers with diversification to prevent lock-in
• EU PCB fabrication — Board manufacturing at EU facilities with ISO 9001, IATF 16949, and UL certifications
• EU assembly — Pick-and-place, reflow, through-hole, and conformal coating at EU-based EMS partners
• Strategic inventory — Buffer stock management for long-lead-time components (>26 weeks)
• CBAM carbon reporting — Carbon intensity tracking for all imported components per EU 2023/956
• REACH/RoHS/SCIP — Full material declarations, substance reporting, and ECHA SCIP database submissions
• Conflict minerals — EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (2017/821) due diligence for tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold

Intellectual Property Protection

• EU legal jurisdiction — IP disputes resolved under EU law, not subject to foreign government access orders (FISA, CLOUD Act)
• NDA-first engagement — Every project starts with mutual NDA before any technical disclosure
• Source code and design files — Client owns 100% of all deliverables (RTL, firmware, PCB Gerbers, BOM)
• No third-party dependencies — Critical IP developed in-house, no reliance on unauditable offshore libraries
• Trade secret protection — EU Trade Secrets Directive (2016/943) enforced for all project documentation

Our End-to-End Service Model

We provide a One Stop Shop covering every stage of hardware product development:

1. Product Design & Consultation

• Requirements engineering and feasibility analysis
• System architecture and technology selection
• Industrial design (enclosure, ergonomics, thermal)
• BOM costing, production cost optimization, and CBAM carbon impact analysis
• Digital Product Passport (DPP) preparation per ESPR requirements

2. Hardware Development

• Schematic capture and multi-layer PCB design (Altium Designer, KiCad)
• FPGA/SoC design (VHDL, SystemVerilog) — see FPGA Design Services
• Firmware development (C/C++, Rust, Zephyr RTOS)
• Mechanical design (SolidWorks, Fusion 360)
• Secure-by-design architecture for CRA compliance

3. Rapid Prototyping

• In-house 3D printing (FDM, SLA, MJF) for enclosure iteration
• Small-batch PCB assembly for design validation
• Functional prototype delivery in 4–8 weeks
• Pre-compliance EMC screening to de-risk lab submissions

4. Testing & Certification

Test Type	Standards	Our Approach
EMC	EN 55032, EN 55035, EN 61000-4-x	Pre-compliance chamber + accredited lab partnership
Safety	EN 62368-1, EN 60950-1	Dielectric, leakage, ground continuity testing
Environmental	IEC 60068, MIL-STD-810H	Climate and vibration chambers
Radio	EN 300 328 (2.4 GHz), EN 300 220 (sub-GHz)	RF shielded room, spectrum analyzer
Cybersecurity	CRA (2024/2847), RED DA (2022/30)	Vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, SBOM
Reliability	IEC 60068 HALT/HASS	Accelerated life testing for production screening

5. Industrial Production

• Production line setup and process qualification (PPAP)
• Quality management (IPC-A-610, IPC J-STD-001, IPC Class 2/3)
• Functional test fixture design and automated end-of-line testing
• Serial number management, traceability, and Digital Product Passport data
• Logistics coordination and fulfillment

6. Post-Production Support

• Warranty management and field failure analysis
• Spare parts management (EU Right to Repair compliance)
• Secure OTA firmware update infrastructure (5-year CRA obligation)
• Component obsolescence monitoring and last-time-buy management
• End-of-life product management and WEEE compliance

Our EU Commitment

Inovasense operates within the framework of EU industrial policy, including alignment with:

• European Chips Act (EU 2023/1781) — Supporting the EU’s goal of 20% global semiconductor market share by 2030
• Horizon Europe — Participation in EU research and innovation programs
• European Green Deal — Sustainable manufacturing practices, circular electronics design, CBAM reporting
• EU Cyber Resilience Act — CRA-compliant development processes as standard
• ENISA guidelines — Following EU cybersecurity agency best practices
• EDIP / EDIRPA — Alignment with European Defence Industrial Programme for defense-adjacent projects

All work is performed by engineers based in the European Union. No subcontracting to non-EU entities without explicit client approval.