Chuncheon Takes First Step Toward Becoming a Specialized Fabless City with Groundbreaking of Joint Research Center

[Financial News, Chuncheon = Kim Ki-seop] Chuncheon, Gangwon State, is set to become Korea’s specialized fabless city, positioning semiconductor design, or fabless, as a new growth engine for its future high-tech industries.
According to Gangwon State and Chuncheon on the 9th, the KNU Inter-university Semiconductor Research Center, which will serve as the research hub for the specialized semiconductor design city, broke ground that day at KNU’s Chuncheon campus. The groundbreaking ceremony for the joint semiconductor research center and specialized university cleanroom was jointly organized by Gangwon State, Chuncheon and KNU. Officials from Seoul National University’s joint research center, which serves as a central hub for semiconductor research and education, as well as representatives from Chuncheon and KNU, attended the event.
Fabless refers to an industry that specializes in semiconductor design and development without operating manufacturing plants. Because research and development capabilities and specialized personnel are more important than large-scale manufacturing facilities, a closely connected environment linking universities, research institutions and companies is essential. That is why Chuncheon is focusing on the fabless sector, leveraging its universities and research infrastructure.
The semiconductor research center that broke ground that day is a project selected through a 2024 competition organized by the Ministry of Education. A total of KRW 54.19 billion will be invested, including KRW 47.43 billion in national funds, KRW 2.5 billion each from Gangwon State and Chuncheon, and KRW 1.76 billion from KNU. The four-story facility, with a total floor area of 4,124 square meters, will include research and demonstration spaces such as wafer testing rooms, design measurement rooms and equipment rooms, as well as educational spaces including lecture rooms and laboratories. It is scheduled for completion in 2028.
The center will be the only university joint research center in the country specializing in semiconductor design, leading research and technology development in next-generation AI semiconductors. The semiconductor cleanroom being built alongside it will be an advanced facility for process training and hands-on practice, providing local university students with a training environment comparable to an industrial site.


Chuncheon plans to turn the challenges posed by excessive concentration in the Seoul metropolitan area and the manufacturing-centered semiconductor industry into opportunities, advancing as a specialized fabless city encompassing research and development, talent development and corporate attraction. The project is expected to gain momentum after the semiconductor design support center project was included in the government’s 2027 budget proposal. Chuncheon, Gangwon State and KNU agreed to work together to secure national funding and jointly respond to public competitions for high-tech industry projects.
The city is also accelerating efforts to build an ecosystem linking talent development with corporate attraction. The joint research center will serve as a hub where companies and universities conduct research together and verify technologies. It will also be linked to the specialized semiconductor university support program to train skilled personnel.
In particular, a defense-industry contract department specializing in defense semiconductors and sensors is expected to be established at KNU next year, providing a stable supply of personnel needed by local companies. Chuncheon also plans to connect the KNU Campus Innovation Park with the Urban Regeneration Innovation District to create space for fabless companies to move in. Residential conditions with housing, cultural facilities and amenities nearby will help companies and talent settle in the city.
Chuncheon Mayor Yuk Dong-han said, "We will add semiconductors and AI as new growth engines to the foundation for future industries built through the bio industry." He added, "By connecting semiconductors with Chuncheon’s strong regional industries, including bio, medical and defense, we will raise the city’s industrial competitiveness to the next level."
Han Young-sun, director of the Industry Bureau of Gangwon State, said, "With a design-specialized research center and a training cleanroom being established at KNU, we will have the core foundation for developing specialized personnel together with the Korea AI and Semiconductor Education Institute in Wonju." Han added, "We will create a virtuous cycle in which local talent flows into local industries and strengthen the competitiveness of Gangwon’s AI and semiconductor convergence industry."

[email protected] Kim Ki-seop Reporter