[2026 Future Business Forum] Samsung: "K-Semiconductors Are Key to Leading the Space Market... High-Performance, Low-Power Technology Is Crucial"

Jinwoo Han, Executive Director at Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Research Center, Delivers Keynote Speech

"The Essence of the Space Infrastructure Era Lies in Semiconductor Competitiveness"

Rising Competition in Space Data Center Construc

Jinwoo Han, Executive Director at Samsung Electronics Semiconductor Research Center, stated that "K-Semiconductors will play the most significant role in enabling Korea to take the lead in the global 'space economy'." He predicted that as the era of space data centers and satellite artificial intelligence (AI) becomes full-fledged, the competition for high-performance, low-power, and high-density semiconductor technologies will intensify further.

Han, who joined Samsung Electronics after working for 13 years at NASA, made these remarks during his keynote presentation at the "2026 Asia Future Enterprise Forum" held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul, on May 13. He emphasized, "The essence of the space infrastructure era ultimately lies in semiconductor competitiveness."

Recently, global big tech companies and space corporations have been accelerating the construction of space-based data centers and satellite computing. In particular, following the emergence of SpaceX, the cost of launches has dropped dramatically, making the economic viability of space data centers a reality. There are even forecasts that, if low Earth orbit launch costs fall to around $200 per kilogram, operating space data centers will become economically viable.

In this process, the role of semiconductors has become even more important. Reducing the weight of equipment is just as crucial as lowering the launch cost itself, and it is semiconductors that make this possible. By using high-performance, low-power semiconductors to reduce the weight of solar panels, cooling devices, and radiation shielding equipment, it is possible to achieve overall launch cost savings.

He identified three key technical challenges that must be addressed in the development of space-grade semiconductors: radiation resistance, power efficiency, and heat control. The challenge is that the solutions to address each of these factors all inevitably increase equipment weight—such as aluminum materials for radiation shielding, solar panels for power supply, and heat sinks for cooling. Han explained, "There are solutions for each problem, but implementing them increases the weight. We need to develop semiconductors that deliver high performance while consuming less power and generating less heat, or that can operate reliably even at high temperatures."

Additionally, space radiation can cause malfunctions in semiconductor circuits, requiring a different technological approach from conventional ground-based semiconductors. To address this, he explained that it is necessary to miniaturize semiconductor devices to reduce the probability of radiation exposure, while also advancing system design technology that can recover from errors when they do occur. He added, "It is necessary to acknowledge the inherent limitations of semiconductors and adopt approaches that overcome these at the hardware and system level."

He also proposed various alternatives for solving the radiation error problem. These include majority voting design techniques that verify errors by performing the same computation multiple times, error correction code (ECC) design techniques for data recovery, and periodic data integrity checks, all of which are essential supplementary technologies for ensuring stability.

Han stressed that, in order to secure competitiveness in space-grade semiconductors, it is essential not only for companies to develop technologies, but also to build a collaborative system between the government and client companies. Semiconductor firms like Samsung Electronics must focus on developing semiconductors with enhanced radiation resistance, but it is difficult for individual companies to establish the evaluation and certification infrastructure required to verify actual radiation resistance levels and error rates. As ultra-large testing facilities and standard systems are necessary, government-level support is required. He also noted that close cooperation with client companies is important in the process of correcting errors that occur outside the chip.

He emphasized, "Without next-generation high-density semiconductors—so-called 'hyper semiconductors'—the space market can never be established. The core competitiveness will lie in reducing weight and power consumption through ultra-compact packages that vertically integrate various logic, memory, and other types of semiconductors."