(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Cho-rong = Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the cutting-edge semiconductor packaging research base in Yokohama, Japan on the 1st and inspected the status of technology development.
In order to improve the performance of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors, not only individual chip performance but also packaging technology that connects multiple chips has become important, so the company is trying to increase technological competitiveness through cooperation with Japanese material, component, and equipment (materials and equipment) companies.
Samsung Electronics announced that Chairman Lee visited APL (Advanced Package Lab), Samsung Electronics' packaging research base in Japan.
It has been two months since the official opening of the APL last September.
Packaging is a technology that protects semiconductor chips from external shock and connects them with other components. In cutting-edge AI semiconductors, it even plays a role in improving performance by uniting the graphics processing unit (GPU), which performs massive calculations, and the high-bandwidth memory (HBM), which supplies data.
Since packaging technology determines how quickly data is exchanged between chips and how much power consumption and heat generation are reduced, it has emerged as a key factor in determining the competitiveness of AI semiconductors.
Chairman Lee's visit this time was focused on securing cutting-edge packaging technology and seeking to strengthen cooperation with Japanese packaging companies to support it.
There are many companies in Japan with world-class technology in the field of semiconductor materials and equipment. Samsung Electronics plans to accelerate the development of next-generation packaging technology by combining its semiconductor design and manufacturing capabilities with the material and equipment technology of Japanese companies.
APL is a research cooperation base that connects these. We develop and verify materials and process technologies required for advanced packaging, and research next-generation processes and materials, such as bonding technology that precisely joins semiconductors and glass substrates. The scope of research is also expanding to chip placement and connection structures to implement low-power, high-performance AI semiconductors.
Samsung Electronics established APL in Yokohama in 2023 and has been building a research base by investing 40 billion yen over five years starting in 2024.
Yokohama has the advantage of being close to Tokyo and having many universities and research institutes, making it advantageous to secure professional manpower.
Samsung Electronics explains that it is suitable for joint research and technological cooperation as it is also home to advanced packaging-related material and equipment companies.
Samsung Electronics plans to foster APL as a global research and development base for the development of next-generation packaging technology by expanding local research personnel and strengthening cooperation with Japanese industry, academia, and research institutes.
Chairman Lee is focusing on checking technological competitiveness to maintain the semiconductor gap by visiting domestic and overseas semiconductor plants.
Last June, I visited Samsung Electronics HBM's Cheonan plant in South Chungcheong Province, which is in charge of back-end processing and advanced packaging.
