Professor Urges South Korea, US, Japan to Jointly Develop AI Semiconductors

A compelling argument has emerged for enhanced trilateral cooperation between South Korea, the United States, and Japan in the critical field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) semiconductors. Professor Kwon Suk-joon of Sungkyunkwan University, speaking at the Korea-US Industrial Cooperation Conference, articulated a vision for joint development that leverages the distinct strengths of each nation to secure a leading position in the global AI landscape.

“

Korea, the US, and Japan must jointly develop AI semiconductors to win the global AI competition.

Professor Kwon's proposal to establish an 'Asian IMEC' – a collaborative research institute modeled after Belgium's renowned IMEC – is particularly significant. This initiative aims to pool South Korea's manufacturing prowess, the US's design expertise, and Japan's strength in materials, components, and equipment (SoC) to create a powerful ecosystem for developing cost-effective AI data center systems and memory semiconductors. Such a collaboration is crucial as the AI industry shifts from raw performance competition to a focus on power efficiency (performance per watt) and cost-effectiveness (performance per dollar).

“

The global AI ecosystem is evolving from learning to inference, and from simple performance competition to competition in power efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Beyond semiconductor development, the discussion also touched upon the creation of a '3-nation Joint Physical AI Testbed.' This would integrate South Korea's manufacturing data, the US's AI models and supercomputing resources, and Japan's robot control technology. Furthermore, addressing the growing divergence in regulatory approaches across the three countries was identified as a key challenge. Experts stressed the need for systems that help companies navigate these varying regulatory environments more efficiently and predictably.

“

Korea, the US, and Japan should jointly build a joint research center for the development of cost-effective AI data center system and memory semiconductors, an 'Asian IMEC'.

From a South Korean perspective, as reported by The Hankyoreh, this call for collaboration is rooted in the nation's ambition to maintain its leadership in the semiconductor industry while navigating the rapidly evolving AI sector. The proposed 'Asian IMEC' represents a strategic move to counter global competition and foster innovation. The emphasis on cost-effectiveness and power efficiency in AI semiconductors aligns with global trends and highlights South Korea's potential to contribute significantly through its advanced manufacturing capabilities. This initiative, if realized, could solidify the region's position as a powerhouse in the future of AI technology.

“

Combining Korea's semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, the US's design expertise, and Japan's strengths in materials, components, and equipment (SoC) would create a technology cluster.