SK hynix and KAIST join hands to use AI to upgrade semiconductor production quality

SEOUL -- South Korea's chipmaker SK hynix and a prominent science institute have joined hands to utilize artificial intelligence technology to collect and analyze big data created during semiconductor production to upgrade the quality of products.

SK hynix and the state-run Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) Tuesday to cooperate in the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) and data collected from the chipmaker's manufacturing plant for future problem-solving. The signing ceremony took place online through a video call.

SK hynix will use its new AI cooperation cloud system established in its headquarters in Icheon some 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of Seoul to share industrial data collected from its plants in real time with KAIST. The state institute will analyze the data with AI and come up with analytics to help researchers develop new ways to upgrade the quality of chip products.

"This system establishment marks the first case to gain real-time access to a semiconductor maker's data, which holds security as the top priority," KAIST professor Moon Jae-kyun was quoted as saying in a statement.

AI-based malfunction detection technologies are now widely used in production. In October last year, South Korea's largest telecom company KT developed an AI-based malfunction prevention technology for smart factories hooked onto a 5G mobile communication network. Robots listen to sounds created by manufacturing machines and analyze ultra-high-quality images of final products to predict when the machine would break down.