Jaegwan Shim

Driven by the recovery of the overall semiconductor market and rising demand for advanced materials for high-performance computing (HPC) and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) manufacturing, global semiconductor materials revenue rose 3.8% year-over-year in 2024. At the heart of this momentum, Strategic Materials Conference (SMC) Korea 2025 brought together approximately 300 industry leaders on May 14 to discuss bold innovation roadmaps and the evolving challenges of the new AI-driven era.Celebrating its 10th edition, SMC Korea served as a convergence point for leaders across the semiconductor ecosystem—including materials suppliers, equipment manufacturers, chipmakers, and academia.“This year’s SMC Korea has recorded the highest level of Q A engagement. A full hour was dedicated solely to an audience-driven panel discussion, where questions ranged from materials technology and business to semiconductor process roadmaps and market outlook. The depth and interactivity of the dialogue reflected the standards of leading technical conferences. Some attendees even noted that it surpassed any academic or industry symposium currently held in Korea,” said Oh Kim, Co-chair of the EMG Korea Chapter and representative of Air Liquide Solutions Korea.Exploring Next-Gen Technologies: 3D DRAM and CFETThe first session focused on next-generation semiconductor technologies, highlighting the future of materials and processes for 3D DRAM and Complementary FET (CFET) devices.Dr. SukKoo Hong, Head of the Material Development team at Samsung Electronics, kicked off the session by outlining a roadmap for materials innovation in 3D DRAM and CFET. Dr. Hong emphasized key technical challenges in the development of 3D DRAM and CFET, highlighting the need for continued innovation in process integration and material engineering. Building on this, Dr. Hong stressed the increasing complexity of material processes and the critical need for tight cross-industry collaboration.Dr. Inhee Lee, Director of imec’s Active Memory Program, highlighted the diminishing improvements in DRAM scaling and emphasized the urgent need for new high-k materials to enable higher density in next-generation 3D DRAM and 4F² DRAM architectures. Dr. Lee emphasized the need for further validation on performance shifts and data retention time resulting from changes in channel materials and architectures.Professor Changhwan Choi of Hanyang University presented key material and process trends for CFET devices, focusing on monolithic and sequential integration as well as Backside Power Delivery Network BSPDN) technologies.The session also featured a presentation by Linghzhi Zhang, Director of Product Management at Air Liquide Advanced Materials focused on “Si, Ge, B Hydrides for Next Generation Semiconductor Devices – Challenges and Perspectives.”The Future of Semiconductor Materials: Market Trends and Innovation StrategiesThe second session highlighted semiconductor materials from multiple perspectives, including market outlooks, advanced technology solutions, and strategic responses to industry challenges.Dr. Prayudi Lianto, Technology Manager at Applied Materials, discussed the technical barriers currently facing HBM, particularly the stacking height limitations. Dr. Lianto highlighted the importance of advanced packaging technologies such as through-silicon via (TSV) and hybrid bonding, and emphasized the critical role of material innovations. Key challenges include void formation during TSV gapfill and developing robust bonding strength and interfacial metals for low-temperature hybrid bonding.Andy Tuan of Linx Consulting provided a market outlook centered on macroeconomic shifts and evolving supply chain structures. Tuan noted that while the semiconductor industry is undergoing a short-term correction, the materials market continues to grow steadily—driven by 300mm logic, DRAM, and 3D NAND. Tuan projected that demand for process materials such as lithography, deposition, and CMP will see a notable recovery post-2025.Dr. Deoksin Kil, Senior Fellow at SK hynix, underscored the growing significance of advanced process materials—including high-performance photoresists, functional chemicals, and CMP slurries—as enablers of semiconductor scaling and 3D evolution. Dr. Kil also stressed the need to maintain consistent quality and supply chain resilience, while pursuing sustainability through low-GWP gases and PFAS-free materials.The session also featured the following presentations:Yohan Ahn, Senior Director, Entegris: “Technological Trends and Necessity of Material Contamination and Filtration for Wafer Defectivity Control in HBM Manufacturing”Dr. Mikko Utriainen, Chipmetrics: “Advancing ALD Tool Qualification Using Ultra-High-Aspect-Ratio Test Structures”SEMI Korea extends its gratitude to all SMC Korea 2025 sponsors for making this insightful conference possible. Dongwoo Fine-chemJSR Electronic Materials KoreaHuntsman Performance ProductsUP ChemicalDuPont Electronics IndustrialDongjin SemichemSK trichemTEMCEntegrisAir Liquide Solutions KoreaJaegwan Shim is Senior Specialist, Marketing at SEMI.

SEMI Korea Members Day 2025 in September featured a wealth of insights on semiconductor industry market and technology trends. As the two-year semiconductor inventory correction eases, Soo-Kyoum Kim, vice president at International Data Corporation (IDC), provided a market update during his address to the event’s 400 attendees at the Suwon Convention Center. He highlighted that the semiconductor market is showing signs of gradual recovery, with growth predicted for the second half of 2024 and into 2025. This growth, he said, is being fueled by rising demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high bandwidth memory (HBM). He projected that the total semiconductor market would grow to $779.8 billion in 2025, marking a 15.8% increase from this year's estimate of $673 billion. By next year, the memory market is expected to rise by 24%, largely driven by demand for AI. Although consumer demand will likely weaken due to a slowdown in the Chinese market, Kim shared that easing inventory adjustments will lead to a rebound during the second half of 2024, particularly in the growth of DRAM and NAND. Kim also predicted that the non-memory market, which reached $503.4 billion this year, will grow to $569.4 billion by 2025.Additionally, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for semiconductor network and data center sales is projected to be 26.4% and 16.2% by 2028, respectively. Kim explained that the strong demand for AI semiconductors in data centers and networks will help the semiconductor market maintain an 8% CAGR over the next five years, following the 2023 market adjustment.SEMI Korea Members Day HighlightsH.D. ChoThe AI-driven industrial transformation is demanding more advanced processes. To accommodate AI, the industry has shifted its focus away from miniaturization toward back-end processes. However, the challenges facing Korea's semiconductor industry have also intensified. Leading semiconductor research firms shared in-depth market forecasts and presented their latest semiconductor technology roadmaps, offering insights on business strategies for Korea’s semiconductor ecosystem.In his opening remarks, H.D. Cho, president of SEMI Korea, expressed deep gratitude for the exceptional resilience of SEMI Korea’s members, who continue to overcome roadblocks despite global uncertainties. He also highlighted the growth of SEMI Korea’s member companies, emphasizing their positive role in the global semiconductor supply chain, as well as SEMI's ongoing commitment in supporting their innovations.Call for Renewable Energy Policy Reform to Achieve Net ZeroBora Lee, leader of Solutions For Our Climate (SFOC), emphasized the strong correlation between the semiconductor industry and Korea's economic growth. Lee also outlined key factors contributing to the high costs that hinder renewable energy adoption in the semiconductor sector. "Korea's levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for renewable energy is about 2-3 times higher than the global average," she said. "The establishment of a policy council involving semiconductor companies is a crucial step in developing cooperative strategies to promote the use of renewable energy." In addition, Lee stressed that collaboration among suppliers, consumers, and policymakers is necessary to address these barriers and accelerate the transition to renewable energy within the industry. AI is Reshaping the Global Memory MarketPeter Lee of CITI Group shared that the convergence of cloud and edge computing is helping support new demands from AI, the metaverse, and automotive applications. As a result, this will increase long-term demand for memory. "The growing demand for AI is diversifying the memory market," Lee said. "This includes products such as HBM, LLW, LPDDR5T, and CXL, all of which are expected to see increased adoption according to AI computing requirements."As the need for parallel processing in AI training and inference tasks grows, Lee predicted the demand for HBM3 and DDR5 will significantly rise. HBM's share of total DRAM revenue is expected to increase dramatically – from 11% in 2023, to 30% by 2027. Expected Growth of the GaN Power Semiconductor MarketHo-Young Cha, a professor at Hongik University and co-founder and CTO of ChipsK, highlighted that the GaN power semiconductor market is expected to see continuous growth due to its advantages over silicon-based devices. The expansion of GaN technology applications in various industries, including consumer electronics, automotive, and telecommunications, he said, will drive additional growth."The GaN power semiconductor market will grow from $180 million in 2022 to $2.04 billion by 2028," said Cha. Growth Outlook for the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Market in 2025 Clark Tseng, director of the SEMI Market Intelligence Team, projected that the short-term outlook for the global semiconductor market will gradually recover due to improvements in end-demand for major electronic product sectors and surging demand for AI chips. "The equipment and materials markets are expected to show a slight improvement in 2024, with a strong recovery anticipated in 2025," Tseng stated. He noted that the equipment market would grow by approximately 3% in 2024 from $95 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow by 15% in 2025. Regarding wafer fab materials, the silicon wafer market is expected to decline from $14.1 billion in 2023 to $13.2 billion in 2024. However, recovery is anticipated to begin in the second half of 2024, with the market projected to reach a new record of $48 billion in 2025. For more insights on Korea and the industry, attend SEMICON Korea from February 19-21, 2025 at COEX Convention Exhibit Center. Visionaries and leaders will gather to discuss the latest developments, innovations, and business opportunities within the industry. As the region’s premier microelectronics event, SEMICON Korea 2025 is expected to host 70,000 attendees, 500 exhibitors, and 200 speakers. More event information, including registration details, will be available soon.Jaegwan Shim is Senior Specialist, Marketing at SEMI.

With semiconductor materials key enablers of industry growth, experts gathered to explore the materials market challenges and opportunities ahead.

SEMICON Korea 2024, the region’s premier semiconductor exhibition, gathered innovative companies and visionaries that are helping shape the future of the chip industry. The exhibition and conferences at COEX in Seoul drew 435 exhibitors and more than 65,000 attendees.

To help players across Korea’s semiconductor ecosystem prepare talent for careers in the industry, SEMI Korea, through its Workforce Development Council, offers nearly 20 programs each year to improve the skills of not only college students but also junior engineers.

The global chip market has hit the bottom of this cycle and will rebound next year, with memory poised for growth in the second of 2023 driven by a resurgence in server investments, Soo-Kyoum Kim, Vice President of IDC, predicted in a presentation at SEMI Korea Members Day.

a memory market rebound will help spark a global semiconductor industry recovery poised to take hold in the second half of 2023 after the downturn that came on the heels of the pandemic boom, SEMI and major market research firms projected at Strategic Materials Conference (SMC) Korea 2023.

SEMICON Korea 2023 showcased the latest developments in high-priority areas including sustainability, smart manufacturing, advanced chip technologies, and workforce development. Keynotes by semiconductor leaders AMD, imec and Lam Research on critical chip industry trends.

SEMI Korea provides the latest updates on the economy, COVID-19, semiconductor industry Investments, government and university Initiatives, workforce development, SEMI events and SEMI Members Day.

SEMI Korea’s efforts to recruit talent and increase diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) to help meet the semiconductor industry’s current and future workforce needs are growing in importance as the industry presses ahead to recruit skilled workers.