Korean semiconductor companies are shifting their attention to sensors, away from their traditional stronghold in the memory sector. Securing technological prowess in the new area could lead to a new growth engine in such diverse areas as self-driving automobiles, IoT, and artificial intelligence.
Experts say sensors play an increasingly important role in devices that digitalize people’s lives. Samsung Electronics President Kim Ki-nam oversees image sensors and bio sensors business growth. President Kim of the semicondctor busieness concurrently serves as head of System LSI of the company’s Device Solutions Division.
In a recent conference call, Samsung Electronics said, “Part of the Line 11 at the Hwaseong Plant will be converted to produce CMOS image sensors (CIS).” CIS is a sensor designed to enable accurate sensing and instant object identification.
So far, CIS is in wide use in the production of smartphones, but the smart car sector is emerging as a new source of demand of CIS.
The reason is that the realization of self-driving technology requires vehicles’ environmental recognition and subsequent responses. CIS that captures such images as car lanes and pedestrians and process them into digital signals is forecast to see a huge demand in the self-driving sectors in the future. Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology has obtained a temporary driving license from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Samsung Electronics has attached keen attention to system chips for cars by signing a deal to supply “Exynos,” acting as the brain of the car, to such companies as Audi and Tesla. On top of CIS, there are representative sensors related to self-driving, including radio detection and ranging, and light detection and ranging.
The problem for newcomers is that they find it difficult to enter self-driving sensor markets, which have been dominated by global leaders from advanced countries. Sony and other companies have controlled a more than 80 percent share of the CIS market.
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The Exynos processor released by Samsung Electronics.
The U.S. semiconductor company Freescale, Renesas Electronics of Japan, and Infineon, acquired by Intel, have a lion’s share in the radio detection and rangingmarket while Maxim Integrated of the United States, OSRAM of Germany and others control the light detection and ranging market. Korean companies are now required to concentrate on investment and research into the sensor sector to catch up companies from advanced countries. Koreans companies could catch up front-runners if the former make the most of their strengths in the memory semiconductor sector, business sources said.
The bio sensor sector is an area in which Korean companies can have easy access. Korean companies own technologies related to fingerprint recognition, iris recognition, voice recognition and vein recognition as smartphones are outfitted with such technologies. Cases in focus are the Galaxy S series, outfitted with iris recognition technology, and a fingerprint recognition technology developed by Crucialchips. The IoT sector has emerged as another area in which Korean companies find it easy to enter markets. IoT products are now outfitted with sensors detecting special functions. Smart watches and thermometers, outfield with such functions as WiFi and Bluetooth, are commercialized to hit the shelves.
Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor lines in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do.(Photos: Samsung Electronics)
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