Science ministry launches public nano fab centers to boost semiconductor ecosystem

The science ministry on Tuesday launched the Public Nano Fab Center initiative to strengthen South Korea's semiconductor and nanotechnology ecosystems through consolidated government support. First Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae attended an unveiling ceremony at the Korea Institute of Nanotechnology in Suwon before hosting a public-private roundtable.

The ministry designated the Nano Convergence Technology Institute and the Korea Institute of Nanotechnology as the first official Public Nano Fab Centers in May under revisions to the Nano Technology Development Promotion Act. The legal designation, effective August 2025, establishes a framework for stable financial backing and special exemptions regarding the use of government-funded assets.

Nanotechnology serves as a critical foundation for strategic sectors including artificial intelligence, secondary batteries, advanced bio-healthcare and quantum computing.

Under the new system, the two designated institutes will expand their roles beyond basic research support to include technology verification and commercialization linkage. The ministry plans to broaden the collaborative framework so that industry players, universities and research institutions can jointly utilize the specialized facilities and professional workforce available at both sites.

During the roundtable, experts from companies and academic institutions discussed strategies to refine the shared usage system and expand cooperation programs for training specialized personnel.

Koo described the designation as a starting point for the two institutes to evolve into national nano infrastructure based on achievements accumulated over the past two decades. He expressed expectations that the centers would develop into core platforms supporting national strategic technologies through service innovation rather than simple equipment sharing.