Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
SK hynix invests in AI specialized Gauss Labs for future growth
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By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
SK hynix is set to invest $55 million in Gauss Labs through 2022 to better lead innovation with industrial artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
Later this month, Gauss Labs is scheduled to open its Korean branch just a month after establishing its headquarters in Silicon Valley.
SK Group has been working to push various AI businesses with its affiliates.
“We should utilize innovative technologies such as AI and digital transformation (DT) to create social value, expand our market and help our customers pursue happiness,” SK Group Chairman Tae-won Chey said at the SK Icheon Forum in August last year. “If we fail to utilize innovative technologies, we cannot guarantee the future of SK.”
Gauss Labs is the first independent corporation from SK Group specializing in AI.
Gauss Labs aims to revolutionize semiconductor manufacturing through innovative AI technologies by utilizing a vast amount of data generated at SK hynix's manufacturing sites. Through these technologies, SK hynix plans to make its overall manufacturing operations smarter and more efficient in process control, yield prediction, equipment maintenance, defect inspection and fault prevention.
Young-Han Kim, a world-renowned data scientist ― and a professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) ― will serve as CEO of Gauss Labs.
Kim recently worked as a data research fellow for SK hynix and is considered the most suitable person to lead Gauss Labs' future growth with his technical expertise and global network.
Gauss Labs has also named Dr. Sunghee Yun from Amazon as its head of research and development (R&D). Dr. Yun is an AI and optimization expert who has led several high-profile projects in various industries such as semiconductors and e-commerce.
He is a former student of Professor Stephen Boyd at Stanford University, one of the most distinguished figures in machine learning (ML) and convex optimization.
Gauss Labs plans to expand its business to global customers as well as SK Group affiliates related to energy, bio and other manufacturing industries. AI services have been mainly based on business-to-consumer (B2C), but AI is being gradually introduced to the manufacturing industry for production troubleshooting and cost reduction.
“Gauss Labs is actively seeking the best players in AI,” Kim said. “We plan to recruit both in our U.S. headquarters and Korean office, with the goal of growing the company to 200 scientists and engineers by 2025.”
“By working on the right problem at the right moment, I am confident that Gauss Labs will become a world-class industrial AI powerhouse with exceptional talent like Carl Friedrich Gauss.”