South Korea's long-running experiment with job-guaranteed semiconductor education is entering a more consequential phase, with the first large wave of students from expanded industry-linked programmes set to enter the workforce from 2027. The shift is drawing fresh scrutiny over whether a model built around direct hiring pipelines, practical training, and university-industry coordination can do more than produce graduates at scale and whether it can ease the country's persistent shortage of semiconductor design talent.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is stepping in to steady the memory supply chain after a sharp rise in DRAM and mobile memory prices began feeding into smartphones and other consumer electronics.
Qualcomm Chief Executive Cristiano Amon is expected to meet senior executives from Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix during a recent visit to South Korea, according to industry sources. The discussions are expected to focus on securing memory supplies as well as potential cooperation with Samsung in advanced semiconductor manufacturing, including its 2nm foundry process.
