Steven Eulig, head of Business Development for Digital Solutions at Merck Electronics, speaks during the Alumni Network of Korea-Germany (ADeKo) academic conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Merck Korea |
By Baek Byung-yeul
Merck noted that the semiconductor industry should embrace AI and machine learning for digital transformation, according to the German science and technology company's Korean unit Wednesday.
Speaking at the Alumni Network of Korea-Germany (ADeKo) academic conference in Seoul, Tuesday, Steven Eulig, head of Business Development for Digital Solutions at Merck Electronics, explained the roles of AI and machine learning in semiconductor manufacturing. He said that sustainable digital transformation is required to respond to the rapidly changing semiconductor landscape.
"Digitalization and data sharing are critical to building systems to maintain semiconductor quality and improve supply chain resilience in the global marketplace," Eulig said during the conference, which was held to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Germany.
Merck Korea Marketing Director WooKyu Kim, added, "AI and machine learning are currently experiencing unprecedented acceleration and creating tremendous value not only for Merck's businesses but across all industries."
Kim had invited Eulig to speak at the conference. "We expect Mr. Eulig's presentation will suggest new areas for collaboration in the Korean semiconductor industry," he said.
Eulig suggested that collaboration through smart data will enable semiconductor suppliers and their customers to transform massive amounts of information from chip-manufacturing plants and material suppliers into valuable insights.
Merck sees this as a cutting-edge solution to the ever-increasing demand for semiconductors and ultimately a means of improving product quality.
At the conference, Merck also introduced efforts to achieve sustainable growth, a task on which the entire chip industry is working.
Merck explained that it is developing various sustainable solutions for microchip manufacturing. A recently published report, titled "Investing in a Sustainable Semiconductor Future," outlines corporate initiatives of developing material solutions with low global warming potential (GWP), by reducing waste, investing in renewable energy and improving energy efficiency at its production sites, according to the company.