At the System Semiconductor Forum breakfast seminar hosted by the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association on the 9th, Professor Song Yong-ho of Hanyang University announced plans to promote intelligent semiconductor development projects.

Since the Future Growth Engine Project began deriving candidate proposals for future growth engines in February of last year, sectoral task forces were formed in April 2014. Last December, the Future Growth Engine and the Industrial Engine were integrated and have been managed and operated together to efficiently promote national policies related to the discovery of future growth engines.

Future growth engine projects will receive approximately 5.7 trillion won in investment by 2020, and approximately 1 trillion won in investment in 2015 (plan). The intelligent semiconductor sector, selected as one of the dual foundational industries, was planned to receive an investment of 55.3 billion won this year.

Professor Song Yong-ho defined intelligent semiconductors as intelligent electronic components in which software and SoCs are fused to perform intelligent services for IT convergence products.

In other words, IT convergence products are industrial products to which core IT technologies such as smart cars, the Internet of Things, and wearable devices are applied, and intelligent services are a concept that improves the quality of human life and social safety by improving the autonomy and technical capabilities of products based on IT technology.

Professor Song explained that intelligent semiconductors are another name for existing system semiconductors, but they are a comprehensive definition that includes intelligent value-added services.

Key intelligent semiconductor products for 2020 include lightweight ultra-low power SW-SoC intelligent semiconductors, advanced sensor fusion smart control SW-SoC intelligent semiconductors, smart communication SW-SoC intelligent semiconductors, renewable high-efficiency power energy SW-SoC intelligent semiconductors, and wellness care SW-SoC intelligent semiconductors.

To commercialize these products, the steering committee established a strategy centered on R&D commercialization, human resources, and infrastructure. Viewing the cultivation of high-level personnel as a means to secure mid-to-long-term competitiveness for intelligent semiconductors, the committee decided to focus on training development personnel.

Professor Song Yong-ho stated, "We established a task force last year, but since the budget was not allocated, there have actually been very few projects implemented," adding, "As the intelligent semiconductor policy is continuously undergoing revision, a unified voice from the system semiconductor industry is needed now more than ever." Reporter Shin Yun-o