The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon), together with the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (President Hong Jin-bae), held the opening ceremony of the ‘AI Semiconductor Innovation Research Institute’ on September 29 at the Inter-university Semiconductor Research Center of Seoul National University (SNU). Over the next six years, SNU plans to develop high-performance, high-efficiency AI semiconductor technology and train more than 110 core professionals at the master’s and doctoral level.
 [코리안투데이] Opening ceremony of the AI Semiconductor Innovation Research Institute at SNU’s Inter-university Semiconductor Research Center © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it had held the opening ceremony of the ‘AI Semiconductor Innovation Research Institute’ on September 29 at SNU’s Inter-university Semiconductor Research Center, in cooperation with the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP). The event drew some 50 participants, including SNU Vice President for Planning Kim Jun-ki, Professor Ryu Su-jeong, who heads the Innovation Research Institute, along with SNU faculty and graduate students, Lee Do-gyu, Director General of the Information and Communications Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, IITP Strategic Planning Division Head Shin Jun-woo, and figures from the AI semiconductor industry.
The project is part of the ‘Industry-Academia Linked AI Semiconductor Leading Technology and Talent Development’ program, pursued under National Task No. 22, ‘Securing Unrivaled AI Leading Technology and Talent.’ After selecting Yonsei University and Sungkyunkwan University in 2025, the government additionally chose Hanyang University and SNU in 2026, broadening the foundation for cultivating core talent based on industry-academia cooperation in the AI semiconductor field.
Centered on a structure in which large and small domestic companies, fabless firms (specialized semiconductor design companies), and universities work together, the Innovation Research Institute runs research and education programs tailored to the industrial field. The aim is to help students grow into hands-on professionals who can be deployed directly to industrial sites upon graduation. In particular, starting this year, the program will make it mandatory to produce research projects based on NPUs (Neural Processing Units), further strengthening students’ practical capabilities.
The SNU Innovation Research Institute will build a demand-driven AI semiconductor ecosystem spanning the entire cycle, from research and development to technology evaluation and verification and linkage with industrial demand. Based on joint research and personnel exchange with partner companies, it envisions establishing a talent development system connecting education, research, internships, and employment, thereby producing hands-on professionals suited to industrial needs.
Led by Director Ryu Su-jeong, who has more than 20 years of industry experience, the institute is organized into five research centers. Companies including LG Electronics, FuriosaAI, XenoCube Korea, AnalogAI, and SqueezeBits participate as partner organizations in each center, carrying out industry-academia research based on field demand alongside university researchers, corporate employees, and master’s and doctoral students.
The government will provide the SNU Innovation Research Institute with an annual average of 2 billion won (1 billion won in the first year) for up to six years (3+3 years). Through this, it plans to train more than 110 advanced professionals at the master’s and doctoral level, at a rate of 20 per year (10 in the first year, 2026), and to support specialized technical education and corporate placement programs for students.
Because universities are offering research and education intertwined with the industrial field, the opening of the institute is expected to serve as a genuine career pathway for students seeking to build practical skills they can use immediately after graduation. For an industry facing a shortage of semiconductor design personnel, it also lays the groundwork for stably securing verified talent.
Lee Do-gyu, Director General of the Information and Communications Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, ‘As AI semiconductors are rapidly evolving toward high performance and ultra-low power, pooling next-generation AI semiconductor technology capabilities is essential to the success of building a full-package K-AI semiconductor ecosystem.’ He added, ‘Centered on the SNU AI Semiconductor Innovation Research Institute, we will strengthen industry-academia cooperation to produce world-class research achievements and cultivate core talent, and the government will spare no support to make that possible.’
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