[Anchor]
Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, recently hosted a semiconductor packaging expo. Around 180 domestic companies researching next-generation technologies to succeed HBM semiconductors participated in the event.
Reporter Choi Ho-won has the details.
[Reporter]
This is the Next-Generation Semiconductor Packaging Expo, co-hosted by Gyeonggi Province and the city of Suwon.
SK hynix showcased its "HBM4E 12-layer" artificial intelligence memory semiconductor, samples of which were supplied to NVIDIA last June.
The company also introduced the so-called iHBM technology set to be applied to mass production starting next year, which dramatically improves performance by reducing internal heat within the HBM.
[Kim Young-hoon / Researcher, SK hynix: By placing the primary heat source—where the most heat is generated—on one side and mounting bulk silicon on top of it, we configured a vertical thermal pathway that directly connects to an external cooling system to dissipate heat.]
When high-performance GPUs and HBMs are connected in units of thousands, data transmission between semiconductors and systems can experience delays.
Domestic companies are focusing on "optical CPO" (Co-Packaged Optics) technology, which utilizes light, similar to approaches in the United States and Taiwan.
[Kim Hyung-jun / Head, National Advanced Intelligent Semiconductor Project Group: Traveling via light generates less heat compared to electricity, and allows much more data to be transmitted in the same amount of time. Research is currently underway in that direction.]
Packaging refers to the back-end process of stacking manufactured semiconductors, like HBM, or connecting them to systems.
It is becoming increasingly important with the advent of the AI era, an area where South Korea, a manufacturing powerhouse, holds strengths.
[Salah Nasri / President, SEMI: AI semiconductors do not just perform calculations. Packaging is required. This is what ties everything together. The value and direction of the semiconductor industry are moving toward areas where Korea excels the most.]
Through packaging expos and similar initiatives, the city of Suwon plans to grow into a key semiconductor hub in southern Gyeonggi Province.
[Lee Jae-joon / Mayor of Suwon: Suwon is a city centered on advanced science research. Connected with production bases in Hwaseong, Yongin, and Icheon, we will act as a brain city leading research and development to enhance South Korea's technological competitiveness in semiconductors.]
The city also stated that if the western Suwon area is designated as a free economic zone next year, it will foster the region as a hub for advanced industries such as semiconductors and biotechnology.
(Video reporting: Jang Woon-seok, Footage provided by Suwon City Hall)
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