Samsung to add 3 new chip departments in Korean tech universities

Source: The Korea Times
Samsung Electronics has gone all out to foster semiconductor engineers based outside the Seoul metropolitan area in order to contribute to the development of local areas of the nation and secure quality professionals for its core business, the chip giant said Monday.

Samsung said it reached agreements with three state-run science and tech universities ― the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) ― to launch semiconductor departments where graduates will be guaranteed a job at Samsung.

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong said the decision to launch chip curriculums with local universities is intended to spur growth together with local communities.

“We need to grow with the local community. Though we are in a difficult situation, we need to prepare for the future more boldly and more actively,” the chairman said.

Under the agreements, the three tech universities will start recruiting new students in the second half of this year and begin operating the departments next March.

The semiconductor departments will offer a five-year integrated curriculum of undergraduate and graduate studies. The total number of students to be chosen is 100 a year, including 40 at UNIST, and 30 each at DGIST and GIST.

Samsung said the education programs will focus on process control in semiconductor manufacturing as the manufacture of smaller chips is becoming increasingly important. The students will be able to receive field education as well as learn about chip design and software technologies.

So far, the chip company has been operating semiconductor departments with four universities ―Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH).

“We’ve agreed to launch three new departments focusing on fostering experts in semiconductor process technology in addition to the existing semiconductor departments with other universities to cultivate chip design and software experts,” Samsung said.

By adding three new semiconductor departments, Samsung now has a total of seven chip department with universities here. By 2029, Samsung will be able to secure 450 chip experts from the seven universities.