"Overseas Expansion of Semiconductor Talent Is an Opportunity... KAIST Campus Needed Next to Samsung and SK Hynix" [Paek Jongmin's Shockwave]

'Father of HBM' Kim Jeongho of KAIST: "One-third of My Students Join Global Big Tech Companies"
"Look at the Cases of Nvidia's Jensen Huang and AMD's Lisa Su"
"Talent Going Abroad Will Return as an Enormous Asset"
"If Elected KAIST President, I W

Kim Jeongho, a professor at KAIST, recently described concerns about the outflow of Korean semiconductor talent overseas as "an opportunity rather than a crisis." This perspective differs from the widespread worries within and outside the industry about talent leaving the country. According to Professor Kim, about two-thirds of his lab's graduates go on to work at Samsung Electronics or SK Hynix. The remaining graduates go directly to American companies such as Nvidia or Google.

Professor Kim Jeongho from KAIST is being interviewed by Asia Economy on the 25th of last month. Photo by Baek Jongmin Tech Specialist

While Professor Kim acknowledged the concerns over talent outflow, he emphasized that "the positive aspects far outweigh the negatives." He argued that graduates working abroad form networks with their peers at domestic companies, exchanging information and support in ways that are not always visible.

Professor Kim cited the example of Taiwan-born leaders such as Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, and Lisa Su, CEO of AMD, who have influenced cooperation with TSMC. He stressed, "The experience and information our students gain while working overseas are invaluable assets that cannot be bought."

However, he also emphasized the need for strategic decision-making in international cooperation. Professor Kim revealed, "We have intentionally severed exchanges with China for several years," citing the extremely high risk of technology leakage as the reason. In contrast, he believes that technological alliances with the United States should be strengthened.

The vision presented by Professor Kim, who is a candidate for KAIST president, follows a similar trajectory. He stated, "To make KAIST a truly global AI-leading university, I will establish collaborative bases in Silicon Valley, Boston, and Washington, D.C."

He also proposed exchanging programs with George Washington University to support science and technology diplomacy.

On a domestic level, his vision includes establishing a new undergraduate AI department, making AI education mandatory across all departments, founding a College of Intelligent Information, and building an in-house AI data center with more than 1,000 H100-class GPUs.

He also proposed measures for companies, such as establishing or relocating a KAIST campus within the semiconductor cluster in Yongin operated by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. This is intended as an alternative to the way Taiwan's TSMC accelerates technology development through collaboration with nearby universities.