Chip U established to train Korea's chip army

The academy, which will be opening in April next year in Pangyo Techno Valley, Gyeonggi, aims to educate and train over 3,600 semiconductor experts over the next five years.

Former SK hynix CEO and the new head of the Korea Semiconductor Academy Lee Seok-hee, fifth from left, and Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Jang Young-jin, fifth from right, with executives from semiconductor companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, and academics at the launching ceremony for the semiconductor academy at the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association in Pangyo, Gyeonggi, on Thursday. [MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND ENERGY]

A semiconductor academy was established Thursday with former SK hynix CEO Lee Seok-hee at the helm.

The academy, which will be opening in April next year in Pangyo Techno Valley, Gyeonggi, aims to educate and train over 3,600 semiconductor experts over the next five years.

It will have 26 education programs, ranging from computer chip design to semiconductor equipment, parts and packaging.

The programs will be available to college students, job seekers and new hires at smaller companies.

College students will earn college credits.

The academy is mostly funded by the private companies, including Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, while the rest is covered by the government.

Schools participating in the academy program are Chung-Ang University, Myongji University and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology.

In a statement, the ministry said that the academy will supplement college, where it would take a minimum of four years for students to become experts, while providing the private sector with experts that can immediately be put on the job.

The academy is the follow up to the government’s semiconductor plan announced in July, where major investments and a chip army are envisioned.

The government set the goal of increasing Korea’s global market share in system chips to 10 percent from the current 3 percent and increasing material, parts and equipment independence to 50 percent from 30 percent by 2030.

“I plan to create a system generating semiconductor industry experts through the academy especially focused on coalition, cooperation, exchange and ecosystem,” said the former SK hynix CEO Lee.

Lee, who started his career as a researcher, has also worked for Intel and was a professor at KAIST.

Vice Minister Jang Young-jin said the government plans to expand the semiconductor academy model to other industries as academies could provide experts with practical skills in a short period of time.

The Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a video conference with the U.S. Commerce Department on creating a session exclusively delving into semiconductor related issues within the Supply Chain and Commerce Dialogue (SCCD). According to the Korean ministry, the session is a step up from the previous semiconductor partnership dialogue.

The key issues that are to be discussed between the two countries in the session is industrial cooperation, such as R&D support programs and investment incentives, and supply networks, including sharing key information on the market situation and risk factors.

Lee Yong-pil, director-general of minerals convergence industries, and Bart Meroney, executive director for manufacturing at the Commerce Department led the meeting.

The meeting is a follow up to the minister-level SSCD created in May.

The four areas the two countries have agreed to discuss through the SSCD are high-tech manufacturing and supply chains; export restrictions; health care and the digital economy.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]