Korea University's Sejong Campus announced Monday that its Department of Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering has been selected for the University ICT Research Center (ITRC) program supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT).
The department will receive a total of 4 billion won in research funding over the next eight years, at 500 million won per year.
The University ICT Research Center (ITRC) program is a government-funded initiative aimed at developing core and fundamental technologies in the ICT sector centered on universities, while nurturing advanced research talent at the master's and doctoral levels based on industry demand. Its primary goals include establishing research hubs and linking technology commercialization through industry-academia cooperation.
The Department of Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering at Korea University's Sejong Campus will carry out research on "development of ultra-reliable, security-enhanced, low-power intelligent semiconductor system technology for physical artificial intelligence (AI)." The project aims to go beyond existing cloud-centered AI architectures to realize "physical AI semiconductors" that perform computations directly within sensors.
This represents a next-generation semiconductor paradigm that simultaneously requires ultra-low latency, low power consumption and high reliability as a core foundational technology for AI systems operating in real physical environments such as autonomous driving, robotics, bio-health and smart manufacturing.
The department also plans to enhance technology validation and commercialization potential through partnerships with industry players including Tote, DeepMedi and BestBone.
Specifically, DeepMedi will handle on-device AI algorithms, Tote will manage physical AI-based validation systems, and BestBone will oversee semiconductor and system technology cooperation, accelerating the industrial application of research outcomes.
On the talent development front — a key pillar of the ITRC program — the department will pursue hands-on semiconductor workforce training through fab-based practical education, industry-academia collaborative projects and AI-semiconductor convergence curricula. This will establish a virtuous cycle of education and research linking R&D with industrial practice.
"In the era of physical AI, low-power semiconductor technology with security and reliability will become a core competitive advantage," said Professor Lee Jae-woo of the Department of Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering, who serves as the program's principal investigator. "Through this project, we will build a research ecosystem that spans from securing fundamental technologies to industrial application."