[Report] Confirming the Future of Korea's System Semiconductors... Visiting the 'Semiconductor Expo'

Several System Semiconductor Companies Participate
Industry: "High Expectations for AI Semiconductor Growth"
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Also Set Up Booths

"This is our first time participating in the Semiconductor Exhibition this year. Our scale is still small, and since we operate a business targeting companies (B2B), it is important to make our name known. This opportunity to showcase our technological capabilities is very meaningful."

A representative from Supergate, a system semiconductor startup, said this on the 25th at 'Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) 2023' held at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Supergate, established in 2018, is a fabless (semiconductor design) company developing semiconductors needed in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

This is the first time Supergate has participated in a large-scale event in Korea. Thanks to the system semiconductor zone established at this year’s Semiconductor Exhibition, they were able to set up a booth and have opportunities to meet various industry stakeholders. The Semiconductor Exhibition is the largest domestic semiconductor exhibition held annually, organized by the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association.

Entrance view of the 'Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) 2023' held on the 25th at COEX, Samseong-dong, Seoul. Several attendees are entering the venue. / Photo by Kim Pyeonghwa

This year marks the 25th Semiconductor Exhibition, held on the largest scale ever with 320 companies and 830 booths. The exhibition hall was bustling with many visitors on the morning of the opening day. An SK Hynix representative, who is in charge of booth operations for last year and this year’s event, said, "There are quite a few visitors even in the morning," adding, "Compared to the first day of last year’s event, it seems more people have come this year."

Several domestic companies in the system semiconductor field, including AI semiconductors, participated in this event. This was made possible by the system semiconductor zone of about 100 booths set up on the left side of the exhibition entrance. Visiting the zone, one could find booths of various companies such as DeepX, an AI semiconductor company; Open Edge Technology, a semiconductor intellectual property (IP) company; and Chips&Media. Startups like Three A Logics, a global star fabless company selected by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, were also present.

Several companies set up booths in the 'System Semiconductor Zone' at this year's Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) / Photo by Kim Pyeonghwa

These companies unanimously expressed high expectations for the growing system semiconductor market. Especially regarding the AI semiconductor market, which has attracted significant attention inside and outside the industry, they offered positive outlooks. Kim Jung-wook, Vice President of DeepX, explained, "If we examined business possibilities this year, next year we are preparing for full-scale product commercialization," adding, "Next year, we will actively share business results and increase performance."

Major companies supporting the domestic semiconductor industry, such as Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and LX Semicon, also set up booths to welcome visitors. Samsung Electronics, which prepared the largest booth at the event, showcased several products responding to the automotive market, which is emerging as a major application area in the semiconductor industry. They displayed a white model car in front of the booth and introduced various memory and system semiconductor products used in automobiles.

The Samsung Electronics booth at 'Semiconductor Exhibition (SEDEX) 2023'. A white model car was displayed in front of the booth, attracting the attention of visitors. / Photo by Kim Pyeonghwa

SK Hynix exhibited various memory products including High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) and Solid State Drives (SSD). They also set up a gaming event space on one side of the booth, attracting the attention of young visitors. Cho Min-kyu (23), a student majoring in Semiconductor New Materials Engineering at Korea National University of Transportation, said, "We visited as a group from school," adding, "This is my first time at the exhibition, and it’s fascinating to see what we learned in class being realized in practice."

The Semiconductor Exhibition runs for three days until the 27th. On the 26th, a keynote speech related to this year’s theme, 'AI and Semiconductor Innovation, the Power Connecting the Future,' will be held. Speakers include Park Yong-in, President of Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business Division, and Professor Kim Jeong-ho from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Kim Jeong-hoe, Vice Chairman of the Korea Semiconductor Industry Association, said, "It will be a great opportunity to observe the efforts of our semiconductor companies, including domestic fabless companies in the AI semiconductor field, which will be the next-generation game changers."