"Leap to Leading AI Semiconductor Nation" 125.3 Billion Invested This Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Joselgina] The government will invest 125.3 billion KRW this year to leap forward as a leading country in artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors. It plans to develop a new-concept PIM semiconductor that can change the future semiconductor paradigm and nurture 270 specialized personnel.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 12th that as a follow-up to the AI semiconductor development strategy announced last year, it has confirmed such investments in 13 support projects across three major areas: core technology development, fostering innovative companies, and building industrial infrastructure, and will begin public project calls in earnest. This is a 75% increase compared to last year (9 projects, 71.8 billion KRW).

AI semiconductors are high-performance, low-power system semiconductors specialized for implementing artificial intelligence such as learning and inference, expected to create new markets by converging with various industries such as mobile, automotive, and home appliances. The government aims to capture 20% of the global market by 2030 and nurture AI semiconductors as the ‘second DRAM,’ and has been actively pursuing policy efforts such as establishing a joint mid- to long-term development strategy with related ministries since last year.

This year’s support projects consist of 13 projects in three major areas: core technology development (R&D) support, fostering innovative companies, and building industrial infrastructure. Four new projects will be launched, including the development of new-concept PIM semiconductors, strengthening software capabilities, supporting domestic semiconductor demonstration, and fostering innovative companies.

First, the government will support full-cycle R&D including source technology development → commercialization application technology development → demonstration according to the growth stages of AI semiconductor companies. For source technology development, 19 new tasks will be supported in the NPU field, including the development of brain neural mimic new device technology, and leveraging the world’s top memory semiconductor capabilities, it will also pioneer new-concept PIM semiconductor technology that integrates storage (memory) and computation (processor). To this end, 11.5 billion KRW will be invested in five projects this year. Additionally, it plans and promotes a cross-ministerial mid- to long-term preliminary feasibility study project worth 1 trillion KRW for PIM development based on next-generation memory new device processes (PRAM, MRAM, etc.).

Along with this, to enable fabless companies (design-specialized companies) to commercialize products early, support for applied technology development through industry-academia-research cooperation such as technology transfer and manpower support for R&D source technologies like patents held by research institutes and universities will be expanded from 2 projects and 1.9 billion KRW last year to 7 projects and 7.1 billion KRW this year.

Furthermore, new support projects will be launched to strengthen software (SW) capabilities, an area where domestic companies are weak, including system SW (compilers, libraries, etc.) advancement and design tool development, and demonstration projects will be newly conducted to support early market demand creation by pilot-introducing domestically developed AI semiconductor technologies and products into public and private data centers and digital New Deal projects.

To foster innovative companies that will lead the AI semiconductor market, a new project will be established to select eight startups and small and medium-sized venture fabless companies and provide customized intensive support to resolve technical difficulties through fine process transition, new design asset (IP) development and utilization, and SW optimization. For early fabless companies, the project will gradually expand the supported design tools to enable joint use of expensive design tools and conduct specialized training.

In addition, projects to nurture high-level personnel such as AI semiconductor design experts will continue. Three additional specialized training centers will be established within universities* to nurture high-level talents with master’s and doctoral degrees capable of source technology development, and efforts will be made to attract top talents such as doctoral degree holders residing overseas and to open ‘AI semiconductor-related courses’ at AI graduate schools (10 schools as of ’21).

The government expects that through this, following last year’s initial achievement of SK Telecom’s first domestic development of AI semiconductors, more tangible results will be created such as the development of four additional AI semiconductors, support and demonstration of two commercializations, and nurturing 270 specialized personnel.

Choi Ki-young, Minister of Science and ICT, said, “Last year was a year focused on laying the foundation for the revolutionary development of the AI semiconductor industry through establishing a cross-ministerial mid- to long-term development strategy and planning and launching core technology development R&D.” He added, “This year, we will fully and steadily implement the various policies established last year, such as large-scale R&D and fostering innovative companies, personnel training projects, and initial market creation linked to the Digital New Deal, to make Korea a leading country not only in memory semiconductors but also in AI semiconductors, realizing a comprehensive semiconductor powerhouse by 2030.”

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