Daejeon Gives Fresh Momentum to Debate on Building a National Semiconductor Research Institute

[Financial News Daejeon = Reporter Kim Won-jun] Discussions have gained momentum over the need to establish a national R&D and demonstration hub in Daejeon to secure global technological leadership for Korea's semiconductor industry.
 On the 22nd, Daejeon Metropolitan City held a forum at the National Assembly titled "Building a National Semiconductor Research Institute in Daejeon for the Success of the Mega-Project Initiative." The forum explored the need to establish the institute and specific plans for putting it into action.
 The forum was jointly hosted by local lawmakers Park Beom-kye, Park Yong-gap, Park Jeong-hyeon, Jang Jong-tae, Jang Chul-min, Cho Seung-rae and Hwang Jeong-a, and organized by Daejeon Metropolitan City. About 100 experts from government, research institutes, academia and industry attended, including Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong.
 Yoon Eui-jun, chairman of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea (NAEK), delivered the keynote presentation. Referring to the global competition for semiconductor technological supremacy amid surging demand for artificial intelligence (AI), he said, "It is urgent to build a national ecosystem centered on a comprehensive semiconductor research hub that integrates advanced process infrastructure, like NY Creates in the United States, Imec in Europe and Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute (TSRI)."
 The subsequent panel discussion brought together Kim Hyung-jun, head of the Next-Generation Intelligent Semiconductor Project Group; Choi, Sung-Yool, vice president for research at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST); Seok-jun Kwon, vice dean of Sungkyunkwan University; Kim Hak-jin, vice president of Nextin; Jin Byeong-ju, vice president of ISTE; and Kim Dong-jun, director of the Fundamental Technologies Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT. Participants agreed that the national semiconductor research institute should serve as a comprehensive R&D platform covering everything from the development of next-generation fundamental technologies to support for fabless companies and semiconductor materials, parts and equipment, research on AI semiconductors and advanced packaging, and talent development.
 Experts cited Daejeon's Daedeok R&D Special Zone, a core center of national science and technology research, as the rationale for building the national semiconductor research institute there. Government-funded research institutes, including Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM) and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), as well as research-oriented universities such as KAIST, are concentrated in the city. This means Daejeon already has research infrastructure and a network of specialized talent spanning semiconductor design, materials, parts and equipment.
 Daejeon Mayor Heo Tae-jeong said, "If companies' production investments are the growth engine of Korea's semiconductor industry, the national semiconductor research institute will be the 'source of technology' that sustains that growth." He added, "Daejeon will fulfill its national responsibility to ensure the successful completion of the semiconductor mega-project."
 Following the forum, Daejeon Metropolitan City plans to expand multifaceted cooperation with the government, the National Assembly, and industry, academia and research institutes while pursuing the development of a semiconductor hub.

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter