On the morning of the 27th, at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, an MOU signing ceremony for the enhancement of the “MoaFab” platform took place. Attending the ceremony were DB HiTek CEO Cho Ki-seok (left), Samsung Electronics President Kim Yong-gwan (second from left), Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im (third from left), and SK Hynix President Song Hyeon-jong (right). The Ministry of Science and ICT provided this photograph.
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that on the 27th, in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu at the Korea Science and Technology Center, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed between Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and DB HiTek to lead advanced semiconductor research and technology commercialization.
This MOU was established to enhance the functions of the semiconductor public fab linkage platform, “MoaFab.” As global competition in semiconductor supremacy intensifies in the AI era, the aim is to solidify the cooperation framework between the public and private sectors to strengthen the competitiveness of the domestic semiconductor industry.
MoaFab is an integrated platform that links six domestic semiconductor public fabs to support researchers and companies with the use of advanced equipment. The six participating institutions are the Nano Convergence Foundation, Korea Foundation for Nanotechnology, Nano Technology Research Center, Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, and the Seoul National University Semiconductor Research Institute. The platform recently began full-scale operations.
Under this MOU, the Ministry of Science and ICT, along with the three semiconductor companies, agreed to cooperate in strengthening MoaFab functions in areas such as research and development (R&D), performance evaluation, prototype production, and education. The three semiconductor firms plan to offer support in advanced 12-inch process equipment and provide consulting on semiconductor technology and fab operations.
Additionally, experienced personnel from the three companies will participate in fab operations to enhance expertise and link the nurturing of excellent talent with company recruitment.
The event was attended by the Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Sang-im; Samsung Electronics President Kim Yong-gwan; SK Hynix President Song Hyeon-jong; DB HiTek CEO Cho Ki-seok; and other representatives from MoaFab participating institutions, including Park Heung-soo, Director of the Nano Convergence Foundation.
Minister Yoo Sang-im stated, “To respond to the AI paradigm shift and semiconductor supremacy competition, the congregation of public and private capabilities is crucial. Through MoaFab, we will provide the necessary semiconductor processes and R&D facilities for academia, industry, and research in a timely manner and create a virtuous cycle structure for semiconductor technology commercialization that ensures excellent research results lead to enterprise success.”