DGIST leads joint original semiconductor research with the EU
The institute is leading two of the four joint research consortium projects that have been selected under the Korea-EU Digital Partnership, including efforts to advance silicon photonics-based LiDAR and optics-based AI acceleration hardware
The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST) has announced that it will be conducting projects on original semiconductor technologies through global joint research with the European Union (EU). Korea and the EU have selected a total of four joint research consortia for technological cooperation in the semiconductor field, with DGIST participating in two of the consortia as the lead research and development organisation.
In an effort to strengthen cooperation in semiconductors, Korea and the EU signed the Korea-EU Digital Partnership back in November 2022. Under this partnership, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the European Commission (EC), and the Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU), an organisation designed to provide semiconductor research and development support under the EC, consulted with each other for approximately 16 months and jointly implemented the entire process, including the announcement of projects in February this year and the receipt and evaluation of potential projects.
Subsequently, a total of four joint research consortium projects were selected. DGIST is participating as the lead research and development organisation for two of these projects, with Sungkyunkwan University and Hanyang University taking this role for the others. The Korea-EU Semiconductor Joint Research will be conducted for three years, from July 2024 to June 2027, in the fields of heterogeneous integration and neuromorphic computing and funded by Korea with a total of KRW 8.4 billion and by the EU with approximately €6 million.
In one of the projects, Professor Jonghyeok Yoon from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at DGIST will conduct global joint research on the technological development of “a silicon photonics-based solid-state LiDAR data neuromorphic computation accelerator.” Thanks to autonomous vehicles, mobile device manufacturing, and smart factory construction, the market for LiDAR sensors has been growing over the years and is expected to reach KRW 4.2 trillion by 2025. To ensure research competitiveness in the field of LiDAR sensors, the research team intends to develop original technologies related to “multiple layers (device, circuit design, and system) for high-performance low-power neuromorphic computing systems,” which can process massive amounts of point cloud data at a lower cost than before.
In another project, Professor Sangyoon Han from the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at DGIST will conduct global joint research on “heterogeneous integration multi-material photonic integrated circuit chiplets for neuromorphic optical transfer learning artificial intelligence (AI) engines.” The research team wants to implement “low-power optics-based AI acceleration hardware” on a multi-material, heterogeneous integration-based PIC platform and use it in real-world applications. The team is aiming to improve computational energy efficiency by more than 10 times and build eco-friendly, energy-efficient ultra-broadband ICT solutions. Furthermore, it is also expected to strengthen the presence of Korea and Europe as a production hub for AI-accelerated hardware and contribute to expanding photonics-related industries while creating new jobs across Korea and Europe.
The Joint Research Consortium, led by DGIST as the lead research and development organisation, is joined by the Belgian research institute imec from Belgium, bringing expertise in frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR module research and semiconductor R&D, AUTH from Greece, bringing technology in all-optical signal processing and algorithms based on active materials, and the German start-up Akhetonics, bringing know-how across a variety of optics-based AI hardware architectures.
“I am excited and thrilled that DGIST will participate in the Korea-EU Semiconductor Joint Research as the lead research and development organisation,” said President Kunwoo Lee at DGIST. “With this joint research with the EU, we will further reinforce our global competitiveness in original semiconductor technologies and contribute to developing semiconductor technologies through innovative research and international collaboration.”
