[Editor's Note] Domestic fabless companies are struggling to blossom as global innovative companies in the harsh system semiconductor environment where they only have 1% of the global market share. Five innovative fabless companies were selected at the Fabless Challenge hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in July. We met with the fabless companies selected for the challenge, which will release new products through Samsung Electronics Foundry, and heard various stories about their solutions and future plans.

This time, we met with Sembrane CEO Song Seung-hwan, who runs a fabless company that develops embedded flash memory IP based on standard logic processes. He, who runs a global business including a US corporation, explained his vision for a nonvolatile flash memory solution that matches energy consumption issues and the trend of developing low-power chips.

■ Please introduce Semibrain.

Semibrain was established in May 2020 as a company selected for the Innovation Field Startup Package (BIG3) in the system semiconductor field. We are developing flash memory IP based on standard logic process.

■ What prompted you to start your own business?

While working on my PhD at the University of Minnesota, I studied the technology that serves as the basis for developing flash memory using logic processes. After completing my PhD, I founded a company called Anaflash in Silicon Valley in 2017, which received funding from the NSF, NASA, and others, and focused on technology development after receiving investment from venture capital (VC) Berkeley Skydeck.

Meanwhile, Korea, as a semiconductor powerhouse, has strengths in flash memory and is strategically establishing a Korean corporation, Semibrain, to explore business in Korea.

■ What is standard logic process-based embedded flash memory technology?

In the case of nonvolatile memory, data is not erased even when the power is turned off. Therefore, it is easy to store parameters created through artificial intelligence learning and use them by turning on the power only when necessary. It is evaluated as a technology with the potential to be widely used in low-power IT devices.

Existing non-volatile memory technologies have many additional process steps added to the standard logic process. Non-volatile memory in foundries faces challenges such as high process costs and long manufacturing times.

Semibrain is committed to developing fast and inexpensive chips based on standard logic process-based embedded flash memory.

■ Can you please introduce the IP that Semibrain will develop together with Samsung Foundry and what led you to focus on these solutions?

Previously, we have had development collaborations with TSMC and Key Foundry. This time, we were selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ Fabless Challenge, and for the first time, we had the opportunity to collaborate with Samsung Foundry for development. We plan to develop low-power, non-volatile embedded flash memory in Samsung Foundry’s 28nm process by the end of June next year.

Energy consumption issues have been highlighted recently. In the midst of the global warming crisis, countless electronic products have been produced over the past 10 years, and in the future, the need for sensors will increase exponentially as wireless communication technologies equipped with artificial intelligence such as wearables, autonomous driving, and smart robots are incorporated.

If these products consume a lot of power, it will cause environmental problems, so 'low power' is emerging as an essential element. Non-volatile memory is suitable for low power solutions because it supplies power when needed and uses key parameters. In addition, the embedded form reduces latency and has advantages in security such as hacking, so we focused on developing such solutions.

■ Please say a word to e4ds news readers.

Semibrain plans to expand its business based on the investment of 2 billion won recently attracted from the US corporation AnaFlash. Based on flash memory IP, we will actively cooperate so that the competitiveness of Korean fabless companies, foundries, and design houses can be improved together.