Training 20,000 Semiconductor Specialists... Gyeongbuk Province Signs Support Agreement for Development

Full Effort to Attract Gumi Semiconductor Specialized Complex

Submission of Letters of Intent from Companies and Research Institutions

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Koo Dae-seon] Gyeongbuk Province is establishing a network of related organizations to support the development of the semiconductor industry.

On the 20th, Gyeongbuk Province will sign a business agreement at the Gumi City Hall auditorium with about 80 attendees from semiconductor companies, educational institutions, and research institutes to attract a semiconductor specialized complex and foster professional manpower.

The business agreement ceremony involved 14 organizations including △Gyeongsangbuk-do △Gumi City △Gyeongbuk Semiconductor Industry Super-gap Development Committee △Kyungpook National University △Kumoh National Institute of Technology △Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology △Daegu Catholic University △Yeungnam University △Pohang University of Science and Technology △Korea Ceramic Technology Institute △Korea Testing Laboratory △Gumi Electronics Technical High School △Gumi Electronics Information Technology Institute △Korea Semiconductor Display Technology Society, representing local governments, educational and research institutions.

Fifty companies, including 10 leading semiconductor companies in the province such as SK Siltron, have submitted letters of intent to Gyeongbuk Province to actively participate in the semiconductor specialized complex project, including moving into the complex, research and development, test beds, and manpower training.

The business agreement mainly covers △fostering leading semiconductor companies within the specialized complex △supporting manpower through customized educational curriculum development for semiconductor companies △expanding corporate support and research and development infrastructure to create a semiconductor industry ecosystem △administrative and financial support for achieving a super-gap in the semiconductor industry through mutual cooperation and support.

To foster the semiconductor industry, Gyeongbuk Province announced the ‘Gyeongbuk Semiconductor Industry Super-gap Development Plan’ in September last year and sought solutions to the manpower shortage in local semiconductor companies.

Gyeongbuk Province has established a 10-year plan to train 20,000 professionals through industry-academia-research cooperation with Gumi City and plans to actively respond to the government’s 10-year strategy to train 150,000 semiconductor personnel.

Gyeongbuk Province and Gumi City are making every effort to attract the ‘National Advanced Strategic Industry Specialized Complex’ to nurture the advanced semiconductor industry as a future regional industry in response to the global semiconductor supply chain restructuring and increasing semiconductor demand.

Gumi is a region where advanced industries have developed, ranging from electronics and semiconductors to advanced materials, equipped with about 3,000 companies including large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises, the largest inland industrial complex, and essential semiconductor industry elements such as industrial complex sites, abundant industrial water, and stable power supply.

If Gumi is designated as a semiconductor specialized complex, it will receive various government supports such as infrastructure construction, installation of joint research and development infrastructure, manpower training, expedited permits, and tax benefits, which are expected to create 5,000 jobs, increase semiconductor material exports by 10%, and secure mass production technology for SiC (12-inch grade) and production technology for GaN wafers (8-inch grade), generating synergy effects for semiconductor industry development.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “Semiconductors are national security assets, and the world is in a semiconductor hegemony war,” adding, “We will spare no support to establish the status of the national semiconductor industry, foster semiconductor professionals, and ensure that Gumi is designated as a semiconductor specialized complex to promote regional economic growth.”