South Korea to Speed Development of Next-Generation Power Semiconductors as AI Drives Demand

As artificial intelligence spreads and demand surges for data centers, electric vehicles and next-generation power grids, the South Korean government is accelerating efforts to foster a next-generation power semiconductor industry. 

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said it held a "Next-Generation Power Semiconductor Forum" on April 23 at the EL Tower in Seoul’s Seocho district, attended by officials from related ministries and experts from industry, academia and research institutes. The ministry said it presented progress on its "road map to foster the next-generation power semiconductor industry."

The road map follows the "Semiconductor Industry Strategy for the AI Era" announced in December last year. The ministry said it has prepared the plan over about four months since launching a task force last year. At the forum, participants reviewed interim progress and discussed directions for large-scale research and development and plans to build a southern-region power semiconductor innovation belt.
 
Power semiconductors convert, distribute and control supplied electricity to fit the needs of different devices. They are considered key components for electric vehicles, defense systems, high-voltage direct current transmission (HVDC) and data centers. Demand is rising quickly for products based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), which perform better than conventional silicon in high-temperature, high-voltage and high-frequency environments.
 
The government said it will pursue a mid- to long-term plan spanning next-generation technology development, demonstration and mass-production infrastructure, and workforce training to secure core technologies and stabilize supply chains.

The ministry said it is planning large, integrated R&D that goes beyond piecemeal support, linking demand companies in areas such as EVs, defense, power grids and data centers to full-cycle efforts from materials and devices to modules, systems and demonstration.

It also plans to build regional infrastructure centered on key hubs. The ministry said it will upgrade public fab infrastructure in the power semiconductor specialized complex in Busan and support the use of demonstration data secured at existing public infrastructure in places such as Pohang and Naju so it can be applied in private companies’ mass-production processes.

To train key talent within the southern-region innovation belt, the ministry said it will connect regional hub universities and develop practice-focused curricula using local demonstration infrastructure, aiming to create a foundation for regions and industry to grow together.
 
Choi Woo-hyuk, director general for advanced industry policy, said, "As the reshaping of the global supply chain surrounding power semiconductors accelerates, we will push compound semiconductors as a key development task and, together with related ministries, build an ecosystem to foster the power semiconductor industry centered on the 'southern-region power semiconductor innovation belt.'"