SK hynix names VP to lead US chip packaging plant

SK hynix has tapped Vice President Lee Woong-sun to spearhead its advanced chip packaging plant in the US. Lee has been leading the South Korean chipmaker’s new US subsidiary, SK hynix Semiconductor West Lafayette LLC, since around the fourth quarter of last year soon after the unit's establishment, according to an SK hynix official on Tuesday. Lee is tasked with overseeing the construction of an advanced chip packaging plant and an R&D center in West Lafayette, Indiana. Last April, the company

Feb. 18, 2025

Naver, Kakao step up AI game as DeepSeek shakes market

DeepSeek sparks AI arms race, forcing Korean tech firms to act fast or fall behind Naver and Kakao, the nation's top two internet companies, are intensifying their competition in artificial intelligence. Each is taking significant steps to secure a competitive edge in the fast-evolving industry, while the Chinese AI service DeepSeek threatens to disrupt current AI market leaders. Kakao has become the first Korean company to establish a strategic partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI to collabo

Feb. 18, 2025

DeepSeek suspends app downloads in Korea over privacy concerns

Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek has halted new downloads of its chatbot app in South Korea after South Korean regulators raised concerns over its handling of personal data. The Personal Information Protection Commission, South Korea's privacy watchdog, announced Monday that the suspension took effect at 6 p.m. on Saturday and will remain in place until the company strengthens its privacy policies to comply with the country’s Personal Information Protection Act. The decision mean

Feb. 17, 2025

Korea to secure 10,000 GPUs to build national AI computing center

Korea joins global AI race, rivaling projects like US Stargate, France’s AI data centers The South Korean government will secure 10,000 high-performance graphics processing units this year to accelerate the launch of a national artificial intelligence computing center, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced on Monday. Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok convened the third meeting of the AI Computing Infrastructure Special Committee, where he announced the government's pla

Feb. 17, 2025

Samsung, SK hynix on edge as US reconsiders Chips Act awards

The US Trump administration is reportedly planning to renegotiate the Chips and Science Act deals finalized under the previous administration, putting Korean chipmakers on edge as the subsidies promised to them face uncertainty. According to Reuters on Friday, the White House is seeking to review federal subsidies the Joe Biden administration promised to global chip makers for their investment in the US, signaling potential delays to upcoming disbursements. The White House is apparently concerne

Feb. 14, 2025

Kakao to launch new AI service with OpenAI this year

Kakao Corp. on Thursday said it plans to launch a new AI-powered service with ChatGPT operator OpenAI later this year, as the Korean messenger giant ramps up its AI push through partnerships to stay ahead in the competitive landscape. During the company's earnings call for the October-December 2024 period, Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a outlined the company's goals and its blueprint for artificial intelligence, including its recently announced high-profile partnership with OpenAI. “The strategic partner

Feb. 13, 2025

Chip talent shortage crisis reinforced by med school obsession

With medical schools siphoning off top-tier talent like a ‘black hole,’ chip experts call for a systematic talent development policy As technology and engineering schools are gaining prominence in chip powerhouses like the US and China, Korea’s semiconductor industry is grappling to secure top talent amid a nationwide boom in medical schools. With medical schools siphoning off top talent like a “black hole,” chip experts are calling for strategic investment to foster chip engineers to ensure the

Feb. 12, 2025

Samsung’s on-device AI strategy sparks tension with telecom operators

As Samsung Electronics intensifies its on-device artificial intelligence strategy in its flagship smartphones, domestic telecommunication companies face increasing concerns about their AI service business. Telecom companies have been actively launching AI services to capture market share. However, Samsung's AI assistant capability enhancement in its latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S25 series, is escalating competition between the two sectors, according to industry sources on Wednesday. Te

Feb. 12, 2025

LG Innotek to showcase cutting-edge vehicle lighting technology in Germany

LG Innotek on Wednesday said it plans to showcase its latest innovations in vehicle lighting technology at the upcoming DVN Lighting Workshop in Munich, Germany. LG's electronic parts maker is participating in the workshop hosted by Driving Vision News, a renowned gathering of global carmakers and electronic component firms, to discuss industry issues and technological trends. This year’s conference, which takes place Feb. 19-20, will focus on sustainability, development speed acceleration and s

Feb. 12, 2025

Electric energy conference kicks off in Seoul to showcase advanced technologies

A conference on electric energy kicked off in Seoul on Wednesday to showcase cutting-edge electric power technologies of local and foreign companies, the industry ministry said. Elecs Korea 2025, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will run for three days through Friday at the COEX convention center, according to the ministry. Some 260 companies from here and abroad are taking part in the event to show their advanced heavy electrical equipment, smart grid solutions and power su

Feb. 12, 2025

Samsung supplies 10,000 Galaxy phones to Chicago police

Samsung Electronics has supplied 10,000 Galaxy S series smartphones to the Chicago Police Department to enhance operational efficiency and mobility, the company said Tuesday. The Chicago Police Department, the second-largest in the US, adopted Samsung’s devices to streamline operations, allowing officers to process information more efficiently while remaining engaged with their communities, according to the company. Samsung began collaborating with the department in 2018 to test mobile solutions

Feb. 11, 2025

Work hour reform for chipmakers: R&D flexibility or worker exploitation?

Semiconductor act sparks clash over innovation, employee protections The government push to pass a highly anticipated law for the semiconductor industry, which includes a clause that would ease the national limit on work hours in the critical sector, remains in limbo, as the majority opposition party and labor unions strongly oppose the legislation, calling it “exploitative.” Amid the tense standoff between the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party over the clause ai

Feb. 11, 2025

Danuri lunar orbiter extends mission through 2027

Korea’s first lunar orbiter expected to collect more detailed scientific data with extension of mission Korea’s first lunar orbiter Danuri has been given another green light to extend its mission through the end of 2027 and collect more data about the moon, the Korea AeroSpace Administration said Monday. KASA held a lunar mission project meeting at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute in Daejeon and decided on a two-year extension of Danuri’s lunar mission after analyzing the remainin

Feb. 10, 2025

LG’s Exaone AI model matches DeepSeek in cost efficiency: Epoch AI

LG AI Research’s hyperscale artificial intelligence multimodal model has been recognized as notable AI by a leading US research institution, especially receiving high marks for cost efficiency, similar to China’s DeepSeek. According to a recent report released by Epoch AI, LG’s Exaone 3.5 32B model, unveiled in December, has been included in its "notable AI category." Epoch AI, composed of scientists and AI experts, evaluates and selects AI models based on performance, usage frequency and other

Feb. 10, 2025

Samsung launches Galaxy S25 worldwide

Samsung Electronics on Friday released its latest flagship model Galaxy S25 series in major markets, starting with South Korea, the US, the UK, India and Thailand. The firm said the devices would eventually be sold in more than 120 countries. In tandem with the launch, Google’s AI model Gemini, which is built into the S25 series, now supports 46 languages. The tech giant unveiled the latest S25 series at its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, California, last month. Even before the launch, the S

Feb. 7, 2025