Busan is good

Busan Metropolitan City Signs MOU to Build a Fabless Ecosystem First Non-Capital Local Government to Foster Semiconductor Design Talent

내용

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that on October 22 at 3:00 p.m., it signed the “Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of the Busan Fabless Ecosystem” with the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Korea Fabless Industry Association, and the Korea Power Semiconductor Industry Association at the City Hall International Protocol Room.

The ceremony was attended by Lee Jun-seung, Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs, along with Lee Sang-bok, Executive Director of the KCCI Human Resources Development Division; Kim Kyung-soo, President of the Korea Fabless Industry Association; and Kim Goo-yong, Director of the Korea Power Semiconductor Industry Association.

This MOU was established to address a key weakness in Busan’s semiconductor industry—its limited capacity in semiconductor design (fabless*)—and to strengthen this capability with the goal of completing a full-cycle semiconductor ecosystem encompassing design, production, and certification.
(*Fabless: A company specializing in semiconductor design without its own manufacturing facilities.)

In particular, by building a cooperative framework for the concentrated training of semiconductor design (fabless) specialists—the first initiative of its kind among non-capital local governments—the city aims to lay the groundwork for improving regional competitiveness in the semiconductor industry.

The main component of the agreement is the successful operation of the Busan Fabless Academy (BFA), which will launch a pilot program in 2026 to train 100 semiconductor design (fabless) professionals annually, with a long-term goal of establishing a fabless design cluster and support infrastructure in Busan.

Busan Metropolitan City will be responsible for administrative and financial support for talent development and corporate attraction in the fabless sector; the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry will develop and operate customized educational programs for companies and oversee trainee recruitment, selection, and management; and the Korea Fabless Industry Association and the Korea Power Semiconductor Industry Association will provide technical consultation, employment linkage, and cooperation in attracting enterprises.

The Busan Fabless Academy (BFA) will be operated on a pilot basis next year at the Busan Human Resources Development Institute of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, offering hands-on semiconductor design training to university students and job seekers. The program will consist of approximately 900 hours (around six months) of practical training in semiconductor design.

The training curriculum enables participants to directly perform semiconductor design processes and undertake industry-linked projects using design software applied in the field, thereby cultivating job-ready professionals equipped with practical skills aligned with industry needs.

Busan Metropolitan City plans to further develop and expand this program into a comprehensive training system tailored to industrial demand, positioning it as a successful model for semiconductor design education outside the capital region through close collaboration with related institutions.

Vice Mayor for Administrative Affairs Lee Jun-seung stated,
“Busan has already established production and certification infrastructure centered on the Gijang Power Semiconductor Center, but the design base—99 percent of which is concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area—has remained weak.
Through this agreement, Busan will strengthen its semiconductor design capability, completing the full-cycle ecosystem of the semiconductor industry.
Furthermore, the excellent professionals nurtured through the Busan Fabless Academy (BFA) will serve as a catalyst for attracting fabless companies, helping our city rise as a leading hub for semiconductor design enterprises.”