Documentary Theater 64K DRAM opens the semiconductor myth (broadcast on 2013.07.20) 64K DRAM opens the curtain on the Korean semiconductor myth Currently, Korea is the undisputed leader in the world's memory semiconductor industry. The starting point of this miracle was the development of 64K DRAM in 1983. It was already a start that was nearly 20 years behind the leaders. How did Korea, which had no capital, technology, or sales channels, succeed in developing 64K DRAM? Special mission 1983, Make semiconductors! In the early 1980s, the semiconductor business was a cutting-edge industry that could only be attempted when the population exceeded 100 million and the GNP exceeded 10,000 dollars. At that time, Korea, which had a population of 40 million and a GNP of barely over 2,000 dollars, was an unthinkable wall for semiconductors. However, Samsung's Chairman Lee Byung-chul, who realized that the world's industries were shifting from 'heavy and large' to 'light and thin and simple', announced to the world that it would enter the semiconductor business in February 1983. This is because they realized that only cutting-edge industries can survive after two oil shocks. Despite strong opposition from home and abroad, the Korean memory semiconductor 64K DRAM was released to the world in just six months of development. It took advanced semiconductor countries a full six years to develop the 64K DRAM, but Korea, which had no technology at all, created it. Creating something out of nothing! - The Challenge of Developing the 64K DRAM At the time, Korea had the technology to assemble and process semi-finished products. The most urgent task for developing the 64K DRAM was securing the technology. To this end, Samsung signed a technology transfer agreement and went to semiconductor companies in the US and Japan for training. However, the development team was treated as industrial spies and had to return home in sorrow. Eventually, they began to sow seeds in the technology wasteland with the goal of self-development. The development team, based on the bits of information they had gathered with their keen eyes, slept in the lab and repeated experiments and failures. They suppressed their desire to just sit there and give up, leaving behind the sacrifices of their families, and finally created a perfectly functioning 64K DRAM. It was a miracle achieved in 6 months. Building a miracle! The construction of the Giheung plant, a record of those 6 months In the semiconductor industry, rapid mass production is as important as development. If you fall behind your competitors in production, you will be eliminated from the market and suffer astronomical losses. Because of this characteristic, construction of a production plant began along with the development of 64K DRAM. The average period for constructing a semiconductor plant is 1 year and 6 months. However, the construction team was given only 6 months. To make matters worse, the construction period was in the winter, which is taboo in the construction industry. Completion seemed impossible. However, after that, a forced march continued for 6 months. And finally, the plant was completed in 6 months, demonstrating the tremendous power of leveling the 4km gravel road in half a day for transporting equipment. It was a miracle created by the will to do it. From a follower to a leader - Korean semiconductors stand on top of the world Although they gained confidence that they could do it with the development of 64K DRAM, entering the global market was not easy. 64K DRAM caused a huge deficit due to the price drop caused by Japan's dumping operation. In 1992, Korea had to endure another crisis due to an anti-dumping lawsuit filed by a U.S. company. However, even in this crisis, Korea did not give up on the semiconductor industry. After failing to enter the market with 64K DRAM, it immediately developed 256K DRAM and made its first profit in 1988. After that, it demonstrated technological prowess that surpassed advanced countries by developing 16M DRAM and 64M DRAM. Then, in 1993, it took first place in the world market share in the memory semiconductor sector, and in 1994, it developed 256M DRAM for the first time in the world, becoming the undisputed world leader in technological prowess. This was exactly 10 years after it entered the semiconductor industry. The development of 64K DRAM was a groundbreaking event that changed the history of semiconductors in the world and opened the myth of Korean semiconductors. Let’s look back on our passion and efforts that made this miracle a reality. #Lee Byung-chul #Lee Kun-hee #Semiconductor