CoAsia Nexell

2022.05.02 09:12:58 / 김도현 dobest@ddaily.co.kr

– Operation of Customized Education Organization 'GDEC'

[Digital Daily, Reporter Kim Dohyun] The semiconductor industry, following supply shortages, is now facing a shortage of skilled personnel. Due to a lack of immediately deployable workforce, even when business opportunities arise, they struggle to capitalize on them. While large companies are competing to secure talents, mid-sized and small enterprises are in a more dire situation. As a result, some companies are establishing their own training systems to achieve self-sufficiency. CoAsia, a member of Samsung Electronics' Semiconductor Foundry (Foundry) Business Department's Design Solution Partner (DSP), is setting an exemplary case.

On the 2nd, CoAsia announced that it is currently operating the practical talent development organization 'GDEC' (Global Design Education Centre), a customized education program for the company's sustainable growth system.

The DSP functions as a collective of design houses that bridge semiconductor design (fabless) and foundry. Specifically, they provide solutions related to sourcing semiconductor intellectual property (IP) and packaging design for Samsung Foundry's customers.

For design houses, the primary task is talent acquisition. Since dozens or even hundreds of people are typically involved in one project, to work with multiple customers, a substantial pool of workforce is necessary. According to the industry, developing a 5-nanometer (nm) process project requires a minimum of 80 design personnel.

CoAsia aims to expand its in-house engineering team to up to 600 people by 2023, recruiting dozens of personnel each year. About 70 new employees were also hired last November. During this process, GDEC was established.

A CoAsia representative explained, "We are conducting education for personnel selected through practical-focused recruitment, without limiting by major," and added, "(GDEC) will play a central role in CoAsia's System Semiconductor Business Department." Those selected last year constitute the first cohort, and they plan to recruit the second cohort in the latter half of this year.

The GDEC curriculum is divided into four main stages: Basic Education (2 months) → Intensive Training (Polytech University Semiconductor Convergence Campus) (1 month) → Job-specific Training (4-5 months) → Tailored Training before Practical Placement (4-5 months). This constitutes a curriculum of approximately one year.

The in-house instructors consist of current employees from global semiconductor companies including Samsung Electronics. These instructors, along with external invited lecturers, conduct various training sessions including:

• Regular education in areas such as Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) design, Register Transfer Level (RTL) flow, software solutions, etc.
• External education offering licenses and training for global top 4 Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools.
• Practical training on Samsung Electronics' Foundry sub-5nm fine process design kits, among other hands-on exercises.

A CoAsia representative stated, "Through close collaboration with Samsung Electronics, we've constructed an education curriculum that aligns with the Foundry business," and added, "Exchange programs for engineers among CoAsia's overseas hub countries will also take place." National-specific education systems are planned to be initiated in countries like Taiwan and Vietnam starting the latter half of this year.

Professor Kim Eungjoo from Polytech University mentioned, "GDEC provides a high-quality education through a systematic system," and highlighted, "This will enable CoAsia to evolve into a competitive company in the semiconductor industry."

김도현 dobest@ddaily.co.kr