Chip master to deliver keynote speech at CeBIT

By Kim Yoo-chul

Hwang Chang-gyu, the former semiconductor boss of Samsung Electronics and currently the country's chief technology advisor, will be among the high-profile technology personnel delivering keynote speeches at the CeBIT international technology fair, according to the German organizers of the show.

CeBIT, along with the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), is one of the world's largest technology fairs with emphasis on information technology (IT) and telecommunications products.

The event is scheduled for March 1 to 5 in Hannover, Germany.

"Hwang, as the secretary general of Korea's Office of Strategic Research and Development Planning, will be participating in Hanover," said Sophia Lee, a local representative of Deutsche Messe Korea.

Hwang gave the title of his speech as "ICT Solutions for a Better World," Lee said.

Hwang will be the first Korean national to give a keynote speech during the opening ceremonies at CeBIT.

A senior executive at CeBIT's German headquarters visited Seoul last year to invite Hwang to give the keynote speech as organizers were looking for someone to offer insight on Korea’s rise as an IT leader, Lee said.

Having headed Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor business in the 1990s and 2000s, Hwang is credited for his role in elevating the company to the world’s largest manufacturer of computer memory chips and other advanced semiconductor products.

Hwang is known for his declaration that the memory capacity of chips could be doubled every 12 months, a theory dubbed as ``Hwang’s Law,’’ in comparison to Moore’s Law that states the computing power of chips doubles every 18 months.

Some 100 South Korean companies will participate at CeBIT. Cloud computing will be the top theme at the fair, according to the organizer. Turkey is this year’s partner country for CeBIT.