Evaluating Secure Virtualization in Academic Research: Replicating Economics Studies Using Microsoft TDX

Abstract

Replication is a cornerstone of scientific progress, but replicating empirical studies often raises challenges related to environment variability, data access, and reproducibility. Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), like Intel’s TDX (Trust Domain Extensions), offer a promising framework for secure and standardized replication in academic research. This project evaluates Microsoft’s implementation of TDX as a platform for replicating empirical papers in economics, specifically targeting publications from Management Science. Despite widespread use of cloud computing, many replication efforts lack isolation from host environments and leave security vulnerabilities that TDX seeks to solve. We focused on deploying replication packages for peer-reviewed studies using Microsoft TDX virtual machines. Each package was evaluated on runtime, credit usage, reproducibility success, and environment compatibility. Early results show that while most Stata-based workflows run successfully with minor adjustments, some packages involving licensed software or large datasets require specialized scripts and manual intervention. We developed standardized logging templates and troubleshooting protocols to improve efficiency and team-wide reproducibility. Our methodology emphasizes independence and team collaboration, two students replicate each paper in parallel and compare results before final reporting. This work demonstrates that with appropriate setup and documentation, Microsoft TDX can streamline reproducibility efforts while preserving computational security. These findings may help journals and conferences evaluate TDX as a scalable solution for future replication standards.