"Semiconductors Are the 'Rice' of AI Advancement, Listening to Industry Voices"
Prime Minister Kim Minseok announced on September 11 that he had visited the construction site of the semiconductor cluster in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and improved various construction-related regulations that were previously incompatible with the characteristics of semiconductor factories.
On the morning of the same day, Prime Minister Kim visited the site in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, and held a meeting with business leaders such as Kwak Nojeong, CEO of SK Hynix, Yoon Jongpil, CEO of EcoEnergen, and Yoo Wonyang, CEO of TEMC, as well as government officials including the First Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
Prime Minister Kim stated, "Semiconductors are often compared to 'rice' for the artificial intelligence (AI) industry, as they are the core component of every device where AI is implemented." He added, "The government is continuing to provide necessary support to ensure that the development of industrial complexes and the establishment of infrastructure proceed without setbacks, and to help our semiconductor industry make further advancements."
He went on to say, "We are constantly listening to the opinions of the industry to ensure that there are no unreasonable or excessive regulations for companies, and we are making efforts to implement reasonable improvements." He explained, "As part of these efforts, we have rationally improved fire safety, energy, and construction-related regulations that were previously disconnected from the realities of semiconductor factory construction and operation."
The government has eased requirements for the installation of various firefighter entry windows and fire compartments, taking into account the unique characteristics of semiconductor factories, which have high ceilings, enclosed spaces, and require numerous piping corridors. Considering that the design for the Yongin semiconductor cluster already includes a large-scale power plant, a special provision was established so that separate distributed energy facilities do not need to be installed, and restrictions on leasing businesses within the industrial complex were also relaxed. The Office of the Prime Minister emphasized, "Through these improvements, we expect to shorten factory construction periods by two months and achieve cost savings, such as securing additional land by not installing large-scale power generation facilities."
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