218 semiconductor industry companies participated in 490 booths.
Memory Yang Kang unveils DDR5 RAM, poised for commercialization
Semiconductor small and medium-sized enterprises participate in large numbers, and seminars are being held.


The 22nd Semiconductor Exhibition (SEmiconDuctor EXhibition; SEDEX 2020), hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (KSIA), concluded its four-day run on the 30th. This year's event was held with quarantine measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This year's event saw the participation of 218 companies across all sectors of the semiconductor industry ecosystem, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, as well as semiconductor materials, components, equipment, design, and facility companies, with 490 booths. This marks the largest number of participating companies ever.

◇ The world's two largest memory manufacturers unveil new products, including DDR5 and HBM2E.

At this event, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix focused on DDR5, the next-generation DRAM standard. DDR5 is a new standard that is up to twice as fast and consumes twice as much power as the existing DDR4. Last July, the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) finalized the standard, bringing commercialization just around the corner.

Samsung Electronics has unveiled its largest-ever 512GB (gigabyte) DDR5 RDIMM DRAM for servers using the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) process. SK Hynix also exhibited a finished 256GB DDR5 DRAM for servers, along with the world's first 16Gb (gigabit) DDR5 DRAM launched last October.

The two companies each introduced HBM2E, a high-performance DRAM for graphics. HBM (High Bandwidth Memory) is widely used in high-performance graphics cards. Graphics cards are essential for AI computation, and with the release of 9th-generation video game consoles (Sony PlayStation 5, Microsoft Xbox Series X/S) scheduled for November, demand for this memory is expected to increase significantly.

New NAND flash technologies were also introduced. SK Hynix, which recently acquired Intel's NAND flash business, unveiled a number of enterprise eSSDs. These latest products, which adhere to the PCIe 4.0 standard, are described as leading the future of NAND, a segment previously considered a weakness, following the acquisition of Intel's NAND business.

Samsung Electronics showcased its new SD cards, its first in five years, along with the ultra-high-performance consumer SSD, the "980 PRO," released last September. The 980 PRO is twice as fast as its previous top-of-the-line model.

Additionally, Samsung Electronics exhibited EUV, which is essential for semiconductor manufacturing using processes below 10 nanometers, as well as products based on 0.7μm (micrometer) pixels in the image sensor field, where it has recently been narrowing the gap with Sony.

◇ Many semiconductor small and medium-sized companies participate

Semiconductor materials, components, and equipment companies also participated in the exhibition. △PSK, the world's No. 1 company in the semiconductor photoresist (PR) dry strip equipment market, and △Dongjin Semichem, which has begun construction of a new PR production automation facility, opened booths.

△Global semiconductor equipment company 'Lam Research' △Presys, the first company to domestically produce high-vacuum valves for semiconductor equipment △Wonik IPS, which has advanced semiconductor equipment technology (ALD, PECVD), also opened booths.

In the system semiconductor sector, design and manufacturing companies are participating in large numbers. Representative examples include Chips & Media, a semiconductor video design company; AD Technology, a domestic semiconductor design house; and SemiFive, a semiconductor design platform company.

Various seminars and conferences were also held. The "Semiconductor Market Outlook Seminar" took place on the 28th, and the "Semiconductor Industry-Academia-Research Exchange Workshop" took place from the 28th to the 29th.

Additionally, at the 'Start-up Showcase' exhibition booth, a joint promotional center for semiconductor venture companies and startups, six promising startups in the semiconductor field, including 'Optolane', 'Isol', and 'Gago Engineering', showcased new technologies and products.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy presented government awards to 51 individuals with distinguished contributions to industry, academia and research at the 13th Semiconductor Day ceremony held on the 29th. The Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit was jointly awarded to Samsung Electronics Vice President Kang Ho-gyu and SK Hynix Vice President Kim Jin-guk.