On September 6th at ETH Zurich, Mr. Keum Chang-rok, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, and Ms. Maria Peyro-Voeffray from the Swiss SERI (State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation) welcomed over 200 participants to the second Korea-Switzerland Technology Forum: The Present and Future of Semiconductor Technology. The IEEE SSCS Switzerland Chapter, Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Korean Scientists and Engineers Association in Switzerland and Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency co-hosted the event. The event featured a comprehensive exploration of semiconductor advancements, with contributions from four professors who travelled from South Korea, an industry expert joining online, and four professors from ETH Zurich and EPFL.

Energy efficiency emerged as a central theme in many presentations. Prof. Christoph Studer discussed digital requirements for future high-data-rate wireless base stations with multiple antennas for beamforming. Prof. Hua Wang covered advancements in wireless analog circuits, while Prof. Luca Benini presented digital circuits optimized for AI tasks, emphasizing processors designed for edge computing. Dr. Kyomin Sohn introduced Processing In Memory (PIM) for generative AI applications.

Several presentations focused on healthcare applications. Prof. Youngcheol Chae showcased high-performance, wafer-scale CMOS X-ray sensors, and Prof. Mahsa Shoaran presented progress in brain-machine interfaces. Prof. Jerald Yoo highlighted the design aspects of wearable healthcare devices.

In the context of evolving quantum computing, Prof. Jae-Yoon Sim presented cryo-CMOS system-on-chip interfaces for future quantum systems with increased qubits.

The forum played a significant role in advancing scientific and technological collaboration between the Republic of Korea and Switzerland. With semiconductor technology serving as the backbone of emerging applications, both countries recognize the importance of fostering development in this field.

Congratulations to the Korean Scientists and Engineers Association in Switzerland and the IEEE SSCS Switzerland Chapter for organizing this impactful forum.

– Taekwang Jang, Michel Bron, Mathieu Coustans, Domenico Pepe