TY - JOUR T1 - Uncertainty as Infrastructure: Governing Confidence in Data-Driven Materials Pipelines AU - Natalia Petrova AU - Elena Stoyanova AU - Ivan Dimitrov JF - Journal of Computational and Data-Driven Materials Engineering JO - J. Comput. Data-Driven Mater. Eng. SN - 3149-9368 Y1 - 2022 VL - 1 IS - 2 SP - 93 N2 - The field of computational and data-driven materials engineering has transformed traditional discovery processes through the integration of machine learning, high-throughput computations, and autonomous systems. However, as these pipelines scale, the management of uncertainty emerges as a foundational infrastructure rather than a mere analytical byproduct. This manuscript conceptualizes uncertainty not as an obstacle but as an enabling framework for governing confidence in materials informatics workflows. By synthesizing recent advancements in representation learning, graph neural networks, and uncertainty quantification, we identify epistemic gaps in current data-driven ecosystems, where confidence in predictions often remains opaque or inadequately integrated into discovery loops. We introduce the Confidence Governance Framework (CGF), a layered conceptual architecture that embeds uncertainty quantification as a core infrastructural element, facilitating dynamic interactions between data representations, model inferences, and discovery steering. This framework emphasizes computational trade-offs in multimodal datasets and simulation-experiment couplings, promoting robust, interpretable pipelines. Implications extend to enhanced autonomy in inverse design and closed-loop experimentation, fostering resilient materials engineering paradigms. Through this lens, uncertainty becomes a strategic asset for calibrating epistemic risks and optimizing resource allocation in AI-assisted materials research. UR - https://iamrp.net/p579353511 ER -