Hanwha Systems (272210) is partnering with leading Korean universities to accelerate the localization of defense semiconductor technology, an area where the country remains heavily dependent on foreign suppliers.
The company announced on the 5th that it will establish joint research and development centers with Seoul National University and Sungkyunkwan University to secure defense and space semiconductor design technologies. The joint research centers will be located at Seoul National University's Semiconductor Research Institute and Sungkyunkwan University's College of Information and Communication Sciences on its Natural Sciences Campus.
Hanwha Systems and Seoul National University will conduct joint research through 2031 to develop high-frequency semiconductor design technology for communications. These semiconductors are core components applicable to communication satellites, mobile terminals, and unmanned aerial vehicles. They are expected to enable ultra-fast, low-latency, high-performance military communications connecting land, sea, air, and space domains in future battlefields.
In December last year, Hanwha Systems secured a contract to develop a "transceiver space semiconductor for low Earth orbit communication satellites," a type of communications semiconductor. The transceiver space semiconductor is a key component for implementing military low Earth orbit satellite communications, enabling stable transmission and reception of satellite communications between ground and space in extreme space environments.
With Sungkyunkwan University, the company will jointly develop high-power, high-efficiency, and broadband domestic semiconductors for radar systems. These semiconductors are core components that form radar antennas—the "eyes" of surface-to-air guided weapon systems, fighter jets, and observation satellites—performing target detection and tracking functions through radio wave generation and received signal amplification.
The technology can be widely applied to multi-function radars (MFR) used in Cheongung-II and Long-range Surface-to-Air Missiles (L-SAM), as well as Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars for fighter jets and Synthetic Aperture Radars (SAR) for observation satellites.
Hanwha Systems plans to build research infrastructure with each university and proceed in phases from preliminary research on core technologies to technology acquisition and component commercialization. The company will also pursue mid-to-long-term cooperation including expanded industry-academia personnel exchanges and recruitment of talented individuals.
Defense semiconductors are specialized semiconductors used in advanced weapon systems such as missiles, radars, and military communications, requiring far higher reliability and stability than other industrial semiconductors. Hanwha Systems expects the industry-academia collaboration will enable rapid and systematic internalization of defense semiconductor design technologies.
Based on the joint research, Hanwha Systems aims to secure competitiveness in defense semiconductor technology across all stages from components to system integration and emerge as a leading company in localization.
"This industry-academia collaboration is an important starting point for stably securing core defense semiconductor technologies domestically," a Hanwha Systems official said. "Through continued R&D and talent development, we will increase self-sufficiency in core semiconductor technologies for the defense sector and contribute to strengthening the competitiveness of Korea's defense industry."
