[Editor's Note] Byung-Woo Ha, Country Manager of Nordic Semiconductor Korea, said that after experiencing the Korean market for a year and a half since taking office in July 2024, he has once again realized that Korea is the world's best in technology adoption speed and level of demand, and that the company is pursuing a strategy of building long-term partnerships with customers beyond simple semiconductor supply. In 2025, the company achieved results in key areas such as expanding its sales network and healthcare and ESL, and in 2026, the company plans to focus on strengthening its market dominance and securing new growth engines through a next-generation portfolio such as wearables and cellular IoT and an integrated platform strategy. Accordingly, this magazine arranged an interview with Ha Byeong-woo, CEO of Nordic Semiconductor Korea, to hear about Nordic's activities and achievements in the Korean market.


It's been about a year and a half since you took office as CEO of the Korean branch. What have you learned from your experience in the Korean market at Nordic? What has changed since you took office?

It's already been a year and a half since I took office in July 2024. What I've realized once again while experiencing the Korean market is that Korea has the world's highest speed of technology adoption and demand level.

This is a very dense market that wants to not only receive semiconductor chips, but also consider everything from the product's completion level to its long-term roadmap.

I took over at a critical time when Nordic was expanding its portfolio, building on its existing leadership in low-power wireless technology, and transitioning from a single technology to a platform company.

Accordingly, meaningful changes have accelerated in the Korean market over the past year and a half.

While discussions previously focused on individual wireless technologies or specific products, discussions have now become firmly established, encompassing system architecture and long-term product roadmaps from the early stages of product planning.

Indeed, this close collaboration has led to significant growth, with a key healthcare customer expected to join our top five revenue sources next year. Furthermore, our latest chipsets have been adopted (design-win) by a global mobile manufacturer for their next-generation wearable products, and are now poised for release.

These changes are a clear signal that Nordic is being recognized as more than just a semiconductor supplier, but a long-term technology partner that collaborates with its customers on their product strategies.

We will continue to actively incorporate the voices of Korean customers into our corporate strategy, doing our best to ensure that Nordic's next-generation technologies are delivered as innovative value first in the Korean market.

■ Compared to the global market, what do you think are the unique characteristics or requirements of the Korean market?

Compared to the global market, the Korean market has a very fast pace of technology adoption and product perfection and reliability.It is characterized by a particularly high level of demand.

We go beyond simply applying the latest technology, and consider stability verification in actual mass production environments and long-term supply sustainability as important criteria for our judgment.

Additionally, there are many cases where a collaborative approach is expected, with semiconductor companies deeply involved from the early stages of development, working together to solve problems and even share roadmaps.

In this respect, the Korean market is seen as a very mature market where success or failure is determined by technological prowess, support capabilities, and depth of partnerships rather than price competitiveness.

Korean customers are looking for technology partners who can grow together with them over the long term, rather than simply being suppliers of components, and this aligns well with Nordic's platform strategy.

■ What achievements do you think Nordic Semiconductor will be able to meaningfully achieve in the Korean market in 2025?

In 2025, to expand our business in the Korean market, we will further strengthen our sales and technical support system by adding two more dealerships to the existing three.

Another significant achievement is that we designed a new chip to reflect the needs of a major customer, supplied samples, and are currently in the actual product development stage.

Even for ESL applications, which have been difficult to access in terms of price competitiveness, the needs of the Korean market were directly communicated to headquarters, and new chips optimized for ESL were reflected in the roadmap.

The product is scheduled to be released in the second half of this year.

Furthermore, it was a year in which the healthcare sector broke away from its previous sales structure, which had been centered on door locks and cheering sticks, and established a sales base comparable to that of existing core applications through the discovery of large healthcare clients and design wins.

thisBased on this, we expect that this year will be the first year in which healthcare will emerge as a major application for Nordic Korea's business.

■ What are the key activities and strategic directions that Nordic Semiconductor Korea will pursue in the Korean market in 2026?

2026 will be the year Nordic Korea solidifies its market dominance and realizes new growth engines.

I would like to talk about three main directions.

First, we will focus on expanding our sales network and successfully establishing key projects.

In 2026, we plan to maximize sales growth through our three existing dealerships while actively strengthening sales and technical support to ensure the two newly added dealerships quickly establish themselves in the market.

Through this, we aim to further expand Nordic's accessibility and partner coverage across the Korean market.

In addition, the company plans to aggressively target the ESL market again with a new low-cost lineup based on a next-generation low-power wireless platform.

Additionally, although we cannot disclose the name for security reasons, Nordic's latest chipset has been adopted by a global manufacturer for its next-generation wearable product, and we will provide all of our technical capabilities to support the successful launch of this product.

Second, we will pursue growth with clearly defined targets for each application.

We plan to actively pursue promotions and design win activities for domestic healthcare customers, focusing on the nRF54LV10A, a SKU specialized for wearable patch types, to grow healthcare into a major sales application.

In addition, we have completed domestic carrier certification of the nRF9151, a Cellular IoT product currently in progress, and are providing technical and business support so that domestic customers can more easily apply it to domestic products. We plan to continue this.

Finally, we will demonstrate our integrated platform leadership beyond hardware.

In addition, we plan to fully introduce Neuton AI and nRF54LM20B, Edge AI initiatives that are being strategically promoted at the headquarters level, and Memfault (nRFClould Lifecycle Service), a Device Management & Observability solution, to the Korean market to contribute to enhancing customers' product competitiveness and operational efficiency.


In addition, we plan to actively promote Nordic's technology and portfolio to a wider audience by expanding our participation in exhibitions and hosting technology seminars.

In particular, the company plans to invite key domestic customers through the 'Nordic Tech Tour' event on March 17th and create new collaboration opportunities by introducing Nordic's recently significantly expanded product line and technologies.

■ Looking at 2026, I'm curious to know which industries or application fields you believe have the greatest growth potential in the Korean market.

As of 2026, the Korean market sees particularly high growth potential in the industrial IoT sector, including healthcare, ESL, and Cellular IoT.

With the aging population and increasing demand for remote monitoring, the focus is on wearable and patch-type devices. A healthcare market is experiencing simultaneous technological and regulatory maturation.

Additionally, as the digital transformation of distribution and logistics accelerates, the ESL market is also experiencing a rapid expansion in demand for price-competitive, low-power wireless solutions.

In addition, as the domestic communications infrastructure and institutional environment stabilize, the development of domestically oriented products based on Cellular IoT is expected to begin in earnest.

These applications are where Nordic's technological competitiveness can be best demonstrated, as they all prioritize low power, stability, security, and long-term supply.

■ Nordic's next-generation wireless SoC portfolio, including the nRF54 series, is rapidly expanding. What opportunities do you see these products creating in the Korean market?

The nRF54L series portfolio is rapidly expanding, with four variants already in production and more variants scheduled for production release throughout the year.

With a wide range of products, from ultra-low-cost products to Edge AI-type SoCs with built-in NPUs, we have established a foundation for responding to market segments that were previously difficult to access.

This will enable a single product line to meet diverse price and performance needs in the Korean market, and will enable more aggressive business expansion across various applications, including healthcare, ESL, and industrial IoT.

Building on this expanded portfolio, we anticipate 2026 to be a year in which Nordic's value will be delivered to more applications and customers.


■ I would like to know what practical benefits Nordic's portfolio expansion, which includes low-voltage Bluetooth LE, cellular IoT, Wi-Fi, and power management ICs, provides to customers.

Nordic's expansion of its portfolio is not simply about increasing the number of products, but rather about enabling customers to design integrated solutions for a variety of connectivity technologies and power management within a single platform.

Our lineup spans from low-power Bluetooth LE to Cellular IoT, Wi-Fi, and power management ICs, enabling customers to:You can select the optimal combination for your application and reduce design complexity and development risk at the same time.

Additionally, by utilizing a common software environment and security/device management system, development periods can be shortened, and product design that takes into account operation and maintenance after mass production becomes possible.

As a result, we believe customers are gaining the practical benefit of securing a long-term technology partner that can support them from product planning through launch and operation, rather than relying on a single semiconductor supplier.


■ Nordic emphasizes an approach that encompasses not only hardware but also software, development tools, and the cloud. What value do you think this integrated strategy provides to Korean developers and companies?

Nordic's integrated strategy goes beyond competing on hardware performance, focusing on helping developers and businesses get their products to market faster and more reliably.

By providing a single, consistent environment encompassing semiconductors, software, development tools, and cloud integration, we can reduce development complexity and minimize risk throughout the entire process, from initial design to mass production and post-production operations.

Especially for domestic SMEs and startups with limited development resources, leveraging proven software stacks, security, and device management environments can shorten development times and more efficiently prepare products targeting the global market.

We believe this integrated approach provides a foundation for Korean customers to focus more on product competitiveness and service value rather than the technology itself.

■ As the IoT and low-power wireless markets grow rapidly, competition is also intensifying. In this environment, I'm curious to know what you believe are the key factors that will enable Nordic to maintain its continued competitiveness, and what role Nordic Semiconductor Korea intends to play.

As competition intensifies in the IoT and low-power wireless markets, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain sustained competitiveness solely through competing on specifications or price.

Nordic's core competencies lie in its long-standing expertise in low-power wireless technology, its reliable quality, and its integrated platform capabilities encompassing hardware, software, security, and device management.

In particular, technical support and a long-term product supply strategy that enable customers to solve problems they face during actual mass production and operation stages are key factors that differentiate Nordic.

Building on this foundation, Nordic helps its customers steadily expand their products and enter the global market, even in a rapidly changing market environment.

Nordic Semiconductor Korea aims to play a role in most effectively connecting this global competitiveness to the Korean market.

I believe that Nordic's key role is to quickly understand the needs of Korean customers and incorporate them into our headquarters' strategy and product roadmap, thereby contributing to building not only short-term success but also long-term trust and partnerships in the Korean market.

■ I am curious about representative cases where Nordic solutions were applied in the Korean market and achieved meaningful results, and what are the common success factors of these cases. Also, what direction do you think these achievements suggest for future Korean market strategies?

In the Korean market, there is a steady increase in cases where Nordic solutions are leading to actual mass production and meaningful market results, ranging from door locks and cheering sticks to, more recently, healthcare wearables and ESL.

The common success factors in these cases are low power and stable wireless performance, as well as the close collaboration with customer developers from the early stages of development to solve problems together.

Especially when compared to other competitors, customer developers evaluate the completeness and ease of use of the development environment centered around the Nordic Connect SDK, as well as the quick and close technical support of domestic FAEs, as Nordic's biggest differentiating factors.

Beyond simply responding to technical inquiries, we provide support up to the actual code level and system design stage, which greatly contributes to development speed and mass production stability.

These experiences clearly demonstrate the direction in which product success in the Korean market is determined not by hardware-centric competition, but by developer experience and local technical support capabilities.

Nordic Semiconductor Korea plans to continue strengthening its role as the closest technology partner to developers, co-creating customer success in key growth areas such as healthcare, ESL, and industrial IoT.

■ Lastly, is there a message you would like to share with customers, partners, and developers in the Korean market?

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our Korean customers, partners, and developers who have trusted and supported Nordic Semiconductor Korea over the years.

The Korean market has always demanded high technical standards and fast execution, and our collaboration with you is essential in this process. I think it has made Nordic's technology and strategy more solid.

Going forward, Nordic will go beyond being a simple semiconductor supplier and, as the closest technology partner to developers, will collaborate and support them from product planning through mass production and operation.

We will continue to be your trusted long-term partner, ensuring that your challenges and innovations in the Korean market lead to global success.

Nordic Semiconductor, a fabless company headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, is a total solutions provider encompassing hardware, software, and cloud services based on ultra-low-power wireless technology. Founded in 1983, Nordic has grown based on proprietary technology and now employs approximately 1,500 people, expanding its influence in the global market. Nordic is characterized by supporting the entire life cycle of product development, not just semiconductor design. We provide integrated services including self-designed ICs, firmware, test platforms, and cloud services that can collect and manage device data, significantly shortening our customers' development periods. Recently, it acquired Memfault and Neuton.AI to strengthen its cloud-based AI capabilities. Our product portfolio has also expanded to meet market needs. Starting with the initial short-range wireless product line, the cellular 'nRF91 series' and Wi-Fi products responded to the demand for long-range communication. 6-based 'nRF70 series' was released in succession. Power management ICs (PMICs) based on ultra-low power technology are also provided as a separate product line, expanding the range of choices. Recently, the company has been accelerating the development of next-generation products by switching from the existing 55nm process to a 22nm process to improve performance and power efficiency. Nordic is also active in supporting developers. It operates DevZone, which is considered the most active IC vendor community in the world, and DevAcademy, an online education platform, providing a 24-hour learning environment. Some universities have evaluated the completeness of the educational content as high enough to be adopted as a formal course. “We are supporting our customers to bring their products to market quickly through a comprehensive ecosystem encompassing hardware, software, apps, cloud, and test tools,” said Eugene Yoo, Director of Nordic Semiconductor Korea. “We will lead the global market through AI and next-generation process-based products.” ▲ Yoo Jin-hyeok, director of Nordic Semiconductor Korea, introduces Nordic.