The Korean and U.S. semiconductor industries have joined hands to cooperate in the supply chain.

The “Korea-US Supply Chain and Industry Dialogue Semiconductor Forum,” co-hosted by the Korea-US Semiconductor Associations to strengthen solidarity in the semiconductor supply chain between Korea and the US, was held in Washington D.C. on the 27th.

The forum, which began with opening remarks by South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duck-keun and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, was attended by leading Korean and U.S. semiconductor companies, including Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Intel, and Qualcomm, who reviewed the current status of challenges facing the semiconductor industry, including overcoming limitations in technological innovation, securing excellent human resources, and stabilizing the supply chain, and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between the two countries to solve these challenges.

At the forum, the semiconductor industry associations of both countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation in the semiconductor supply chain.

This MOU aims to promote cooperation between the semiconductor industries of Korea and the U.S. and to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain by: △ promoting business and information exchanges in promising technologies (such as AI) between the industries of both countries; △ seeking opportunities for cooperative projects in research and development (R&D) and human resource development; △ making efforts to strengthen the semiconductor supply chain; △ promoting supply chain information sharing and networking among the government, industry, academia, and research communities; and △ encouraging policies to create an environment conducive to innovation and investment by companies within the semiconductor ecosystems of both countries.

Kim Jeong-hoe, Vice Chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, said, “Global Within the semiconductor supply chain, Korea supplies memory chips, while the U.S. supplies advanced equipment, design, and SW, developing a mutually complementary relationship. In the future, the two countries should work to stabilize the global semiconductor industry supply chain and strengthen the ecosystem based on joint R&D, personnel exchange, and expanded investment, emphasizing the importance of Korea-U.S. semiconductor cooperation.

Through this forum, the two countries, Korea and the United States, pledged to work together between government and industry to achieve sustainable development in the semiconductor industry, and will continue close cooperation by regularly holding the Korea-U.S. Semiconductor Cooperation Forum.

In addition, the Semiconductor Association will establish an 'AI Semiconductor Innovation Center' in Silicon Valley (San Jose), USA, to support domestic system semiconductor companies' entry into the US market, and will begin full-scale operation in early September.

We plan to actively support domestic system semiconductor companies entering the U.S. market, including through the entry of domestic fabless/design house/IP companies and exchanges with local experts.