On May 13th, the "K-Semiconductor Strategy" was announced, aiming to transform Korea into a comprehensive semiconductor powerhouse. This strategy aims to build a world-class semiconductor supply chain by 2030. To achieve this, a key growth driver is "talent development." However, the Korean semiconductor industry continues to struggle with a chronic labor shortage, with demand for workers consistently increasing but supply falling short. To proactively address these changes in human resource supply and demand, academia and associations have joined forces.

The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association (Chairman Lee Jung-bae, President of Samsung Electronics) and the Semiconductor Industry Human Resources Development Council held an agreement ceremony on the 15th to promote organic industry-academia cooperation with the Next Generation Semiconductor Digital Innovation Sharing University Project Group, in which seven universities, including Seoul National University (host university), participate to foster next-generation semiconductor talent.

The Digital Innovation Shared University project is a new Korean New Deal project that aims to cultivate 100,000 key talents in new technology fields at the national level over the next six years until 2026. It involves establishing a nationwide shared university system, with participation from industries, research institutes, and private organizations.

In this project, Seoul National University was selected as the lead university for the next-generation semiconductor field, along with Kangwon National University, Daegu University, Soongsil University, Chosun University of Science and Technology, Chung-Ang University, and Pohang University of Science and Technology (a total of 7 universities).

The Next Generation Semiconductor Innovation Sharing University aims to cultivate responsible future talents who will lead the semiconductor industry. It will formulate and implement business strategies to cultivate △ intellectuals with semiconductor knowledge, △ convergent talents with semiconductor knowledge, △ semiconductor experts with creativity and problem-solving skills, and △ practical talents with both semiconductor theory and technology.

The Korea Semiconductor Industry Association has secured companies in all fields related to semiconductors, including components, equipment, materials, design, and distribution, as its members. Through this business agreement ceremony with the Next Generation Semiconductor Innovation Sharing University, the association plans to continuously discover areas where mutual exchange and cooperation are possible, such as developing and operating educational programs that reflect the needs of the industry and carrying out industry-academia projects.

Lee Hyuk-jae, head of the Next Generation Semiconductor Digital Innovation Sharing University project at Seoul National University, emphasized, “Our goal is to dramatically increase the semiconductor workforce by providing semiconductor education to students regardless of their major.” />
Lee Chang-han, Vice Chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, stated the association's role, saying, "In order to keep pace with the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, we will actively support the development of future talent through innovative educational models that break away from the existing curriculum and foster new technology talent, and also become a successful model that can contribute to industrial development."

Following the MOU signing ceremony, a business briefing session was held for industry. The session outlined a variety of industry-academia-research programs, including an educational model jointly developed by seven universities to cultivate talented individuals with aptitude for the semiconductor industry, a key driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and to provide diverse career paths. The program included a corporate R&D support program, a project and internship program focused on addressing industry challenges, and a contracted academic program.