"Strengthening Car Semiconductor Competitiveness" Automobile Industry Association - Semiconductor Industry Association MOU

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] The Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA) announced that on the 17th, it held the 1st Vehicle Semiconductor Demand Company and Fabless Technology Exchange Meeting at the Grandeur Ballroom of the Automobile Industry Association in Seocho-gu, Seoul, together with the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA).

The exchange meeting was attended by complete vehicle manufacturers such as Hyundai Motor, Kia, Korea GM, Renault Samsung, and Ssangyong Motor; vehicle parts companies including Mando, LS Automotive, and Corens; as well as vehicle semiconductor design-specialized fabless companies such as NeoWine, Believe Micron, Silicon R&D, Ranix, and Images Technology.

The reason the two industries held the technology exchange meeting is that recently, due to the global supply disruption of vehicle semiconductors, most major domestic complete vehicle manufacturers have been experiencing production disruptions.

The association explained that the regular holding of the exchange meeting is planned as a follow-up measure to the “Future Car-Semiconductor Solidarity and Cooperation Council,” which was launched jointly by the public and private sectors on March 4.

Through the regular exchange meetings, the two associations decided to systematically resolve short-term difficulties caused by the recent global vehicle semiconductor supply disruptions while strengthening the competitiveness of the industrial ecosystem in the mid to long term.

They also signed an MOU for systematic cooperation. Through the MOU, they plan to promote the regular operation of a cooperative body to discover cooperative tasks between the two industries, such as expanding the production base of vehicle semiconductors, joint technology development among companies, joint evaluation of vehicle semiconductor prototypes, certification support, and Tech-Day events.

Jung Manki, Chairman of KAMA, said, "Our automobile industry has so far used more than 98% imported vehicle semiconductors, and considering that even a disruption in the supply of a single type of semiconductor can make automobile production itself difficult, efforts to establish a domestic industrial base have been somewhat delayed." He added, "Especially considering that in the autonomous driving car era, the number of semiconductors required per vehicle model is expected to increase from about 200 to more than 2,000, the establishment of an industrial ecosystem from a mid to long-term perspective must be expedited."

He continued, "For this, strengthening cooperation among demand companies, fabless companies, and foundries is essential," and added, "The two associations will do their best to act as intermediaries or brokers to expand exchanges and cooperation between the two industries."

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