Hanwha Systems said Thursday it will hold ceremonies to launch joint research and development centers with Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University to secure design technologies for defense and space semiconductors.
The centers will be set up at Seoul National University’s Semiconductor Joint Research Institute and at Sungkyunkwan University’s College of Information and Communication Engineering on its Natural Sciences Campus.
Hanwha Systems and Seoul National University will conduct joint research through 2031 to develop high-frequency semiconductor design technology for communications.
The company said the semiconductor is a key component that can be used in communications satellites, mobile terminals and unmanned aircraft, and is expected to support ultra-fast, low-latency, high-performance military communications linking land, sea, air and space domains in future battlefields.
In December, Hanwha Systems won a development project for a “transceiver space semiconductor for low-Earth-orbit communications satellites,” one type of communications chip. The transceiver space semiconductor is a core component for military low-Earth-orbit satellite communications and is designed to reliably transmit and receive satellite signals between the ground and space in extreme space conditions.
With Sungkyunkwan University, Hanwha Systems will jointly develop a domestically made, high-power, high-efficiency, wideband semiconductor for radar. The company said the chip is a key component in radar antennas — the “eyes” of systems such as surface-to-air guided weapons, fighter jets and observation satellites — enabling target search and tracking by generating radio waves and amplifying received signals.
Hanwha Systems said the technology could be used broadly, including in multifunction radars applied to Cheongung-II and L-SAM, as well as AESA radars for fighter aircraft and SAR for observation satellites. The company said it plans to build infrastructure for joint research with each university and to proceed step by step from early-stage research to securing core technologies and commercializing components. It also plans longer-term cooperation, including expanded industry-academia exchanges and recruitment of top talent.
Defense semiconductors are specialized chips used in advanced weapons systems such as missiles, radars and military communications, and require far higher reliability and stability than chips for other industries, the company said. Hanwha Systems said it expects the partnerships to help it internalize high-quality domestic defense semiconductor design capabilities quickly and systematically.
Hanwha Systems said it aims to strengthen competitiveness in defense semiconductor technology across all stages, from components to integrated systems, and to become a leading company in localizing defense semiconductors in South Korea.
A Hanwha Systems official said the partnerships are “an important starting point” for securing core defense semiconductor technologies domestically in a stable way. “Through sustained R&D and talent development, we will raise self-reliance in key semiconductor technologies for defense and contribute to strengthening South Korea’s defense industry competitiveness,” the official said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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