Science & Tech · AI · 35 mins ago
South Korea plans eight homegrown AI chips by 2030
South Korea's industry ministry has set out a plan to develop eight homegrown AI chips by 2030 for cars, appliances, robots and other uses.
The work is part of an 8.002 trillion won national project launched in June, bringing together government and companies.
The chips are designed for on-device AI, which processes information on a device instead of sending it to an outside server.
The plan also includes two semiconductor design tools, and one appliance chip is due to be made more than a year earlier than first planned.
Samsung's foundry business will give prototype production priority on advanced processes, while companies that need the chips will help define and test them.
The aim is to get locally designed chips into real products and reduce delays caused by limited access to manufacturing.
A joint government-industry committee will review plans each year and help address technical and business issues as development continues.
South Korea plans to develop eight homegrown artificial intelligence chips for cars, appliances, robots and other uses by 2030.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the roadmap at a meeting in Seoul on November 12.
The project is part of an 800.2 billion won domestic AI semiconductor development program launched in June.
Samsung Electronics plans to prioritize prototype production using advanced processes, including its 2-nanometer process.
The roadmap also includes two semiconductor design assets, bringing the total planned developments to 10.
- Who
- South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is leading the project with companies and research participants.
- What
- The project aims to develop eight homegrown AI chips and two semiconductor design assets by 2030.
- When
- The roadmap was announced on November 12, 2026. The project began in June 2026.
- Where
- The roadmap was announced at a meeting in Seoul.
- Why
- To develop domestic chips for use in products including cars, appliances and robots, and support their commercialization.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The 800.2 billion won domestic AI semiconductor development program began.
The ministry announced the roadmap at the AI Semiconductor M.AX Alliance meeting in Seoul.
The project is scheduled to develop eight AI chips and two semiconductor design assets.
- Total program budget
- 800.2 billion won
- AI chips planned
- 8 by 2030
- Design assets planned
- 2 by 2030
- Samsung prototype support
- Priority access to processes including 2 nanometers
- Prototype demand survey
- 21 production requests to be assessed in 2027
What people are saying
True coexistence in the semiconductor industry must be proven not by promises of cooperation, but by the achievement of technologies developed together being adopted in actual products.