Samsung to establish 3 new chip departments with universities

Samsung Electronics reached agreements with three state-run science and tech universities to launch semiconductor departments where graduates will be guaranteed a job at Samsung.

The schools involved were the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST).

The decision to launch chip curriculums with local universities is intended to spur growth together with local communities, according to Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong.

The semiconductor departments will offer a five-year integrated curriculum of undergraduate and graduate studies. One hundred students will be chosen each year, with 40 attending UNIST and 30 attending DGIST and GIST, respectively.

According to Samsung, the educational programs will focus on process control in semiconductor production because it is crucial to produce smaller chips. In addition to getting field education, the students will have the opportunity to learn chip design and software technologies.

With four universities—Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and Pohang University of Science and Technology—the chip firm has so far operated semiconductor departments (POSTECH).

The three new semiconductor departments will give Samsung a total of seven chip department with universities here, allowing it to secure 450 chip experts by 2029.