Global 'System Semiconductor' Design Assets... Free Support for Korean Startups and Ventures

UK ARM's 'Flexible Access' Program Offered
First Global 'Caring Company' Selected by Ministry of SMEs and Startups
Seoul National University and Venture Business Association Collaborate for 'Fabless' Innovative Growth

Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, Oh Se-jung, President of Seoul National University, Simon Segars, CEO of ARM, and Ahn Geon-jun, Chairman of the Korea Venture Business Association (from top left clockwise), are attending the 'Kind Corporation Business Agreement Ceremony for the Innovative Growth of System Semiconductor Startups' on the 22nd via an online video platform from their respective offices.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] Korean startups and venture companies in the system semiconductor sector will receive free access to the 'semiconductor design assets' development support program from ARM, a global company headquartered in the United Kingdom. On the 22nd, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups selected ARM as the twelfth 'Voluntary Win-Win Cooperation Company (Jasanghan Company)' to support the innovative growth activities of domestic startups and venture companies.

On the same day, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups held a business agreement ceremony with ARM, a world-renowned semiconductor design company, and signed a usage contract for the system semiconductor design package 'Flexible Access' program. The Ministry and ARM plan to share the costs to provide the Flexible Access program to domestic startups and venture companies. This is the first time a global company has been selected as a Jasanghan Company, which the Ministry has been discovering since last year.

The Flexible Access program provided by ARM is a design package essential for system semiconductor design, including the use and technical support of central processing units (CPU), graphics processing units (GPU), and more. ARM’s technical staff will provide consulting support through real-time online and on-site visits.

Minister Park Young-sun of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups stated during the agreement signing, "The first global Jasanghan Company agreement for cross-border win-win cooperation will greatly help the innovation and growth of domestic fabless (semiconductor design specialized companies)."

This business agreement is a follow-up measure to the 'Big 3 Sector SME and Venture Company Innovation Growth Support Strategy' announced by the government in December last year to foster system semiconductors, bio-health, and future automobile companies.

In the system semiconductor field, success depends on who develops and launches the chip first, so using verified semiconductor design assets is a common method. However, the cost burden of semiconductor design assets has acted as a barrier to entry, discouraging innovative challenges by domestic startups and venture companies in the system semiconductor sector.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups discovers and selects Jasanghan Companies that voluntarily share technologies and infrastructure owned by large corporations with small and medium enterprises and cooperate for mutual growth. The 11 companies selected so far, including Naver, POSCO, KB Kookmin Bank, Samsung Electronics, and Hyundai-Kia Motors, are all domestic companies.

Minister Park Young-sun of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups is listening to the participants' stories at the "Business Agreement Ceremony for Caring Companies to Promote Innovative Growth of System Semiconductor Startups," held on the 22nd through an online video platform.

The business agreement ceremony was also attended by Seoul National University, which possesses excellent infrastructure related to system semiconductors, and the Korea Venture Business Association. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Jasanghan Company business agreement was signed for the first time via an online video platform. Minister Park Young-sun, ARM CEO Simon Segars, Seoul National University President Oh Se-jung, and Korea Venture Business Association Chairman Ahn Geon-jun each participated via online video from their respective offices.

At the ceremony, CEO Simon Segars said, "I am pleased to cooperate with Korea, a global leader in the semiconductor field, and hope that through this collaboration, Korean startups will gain more than just success."

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to actively discover promising companies with growth potential together with Seoul National University, which plays the role of the startup and corporate innovation mentoring group, to systematically support companies in the system semiconductor design package field. Through this, they plan to provide full-cycle support from technology development to commercialization. First, within the first half of this year, 10 companies in the system semiconductor design package field will be selected.

Seoul National University and the Korea Venture Business Association plan to cooperate in establishing and operating education programs in the system semiconductor field and supporting employment linkage.

President Oh Se-jung emphasized, "We will actively cooperate to enable Korea to leap forward as a comprehensive semiconductor powerhouse by concentrating the support capabilities such as personnel and infrastructure that the university possesses."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.