Industry Speaks with One Voice at the 10th ICT Policy Forum Hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning
Discussion on intelligent semiconductor R&D support and industrial development measures

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning held the 10th ICT Policy Forum to lead the intelligent information society at the Global R&D Center (located in Pangyo) on the 21st, presided over by Vice Minister Choi Jae-yu.

Representatives of fabless companies, experts from small and medium-sized semiconductor firms, academia, and research institutions attended this policy meeting to discuss recent technological trends and government support policy measures, and to listen to difficulties faced in the industrial field.

At this event, Eom Nak-woong, Director of the ICT Materials and Components Research Institute at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), explained in his presentation on 'Intelligent Semiconductor Technology Trends and Outlook' that overseas companies such as IBM and NVIDIA are recently accelerating the development of artificial intelligence chip technology, and that interest is growing in technical solutions regarding ultra-intelligence and low power consumption.

Lee Kyu-bok, CP of ICT Devices at the Information and Communication Technology Promotion Center (IITP), emphasized the need for effective policy formulation and increased support budgets through the division of roles among the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and industry, academia, and research institutes, by presenting the 'Intelligent Semiconductor Support Policy and R&D Support Status' based on the 'K-ICT Strategy 2016' (May 2016) and the 'Mid-to-Long-Term Comprehensive Measures for an Intelligent Information Society' (December 2016).

It is important to establish a virtuous cycle structure and a horizontal ecosystem leading from fabless to foundry to packaging and testing.

Meanwhile, during the open discussion, industry officials attending the meeting emphasized, “For the balanced development of the domestic semiconductor industry, which is heavily concentrated on memory semiconductors, government support for the intelligent semiconductor sector, which has high growth potential, is urgently needed, and it is important to create a virtuous cycle structure and a horizontal ecosystem extending from fabless to foundry to packaging and testing.”

Vice Minister Choi Jae-yu of the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning stated, “With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the importance of securing intelligent semiconductor technology, an essential element for realizing an intelligent information society, is growing, and I agree with the need to preempt the early market for intelligent semiconductors to realize new services.” He added, “The government will continuously gather the latest technological trends and voices from the field, and swiftly implement policies."We will actively reflect the opinions presented through this meeting in our intelligent semiconductor support policy to promote growth and support," he stated.