● Absolics Inc. signed an industry-academia collaboration agreement with Georgia Piedmont Technical College to set up an education/training program and jointly structure the curriculum.

●​ The collaboration is aimed to develop technical talent that the glass substrate business could benefit from and contribute to reinforce the competitiveness of the local semiconductor industry ecosystem.

Absolics Inc., a semiconductor glass substrate business in which SKC (CEO & President Woncheol Park) has invested, partnered with a local U.S. educational institution to develop human resources for the semiconductor industry.

Absolics Inc. signed an industry-academia collaboration MOU with Georgia Piedmont Technical College (GPTC) on March 9 (local time) to jointly set up an education/training program for human resources development of the semiconductor industry. The signing ceremony, held at GPTC’s Newton Campus in Covington, Newton County, Georgia, was attended by key officials from both sides including Absolics Inc. CTO Seongjin Kim and GPTC President Tavarez Holston.

This MOU will serve as a basis for Absolics Inc. and GPTC to structure an education/training curriculum of industry-academia collaboration customized for jobs such as semiconductor quality management and defect analysis. The goal sought through this arrangement is to develop the human resources that the semiconductor glass substrate business need and contribute to reinforcing the competitiveness of the overall local semiconductor industry ecosystem in the long term.

Absolics Inc. is the first company in the world to promote the semiconductor glass substrate business that is building a manufacturing facility on an SKC inc. site in Georgia since last November. A first-phase investment of USD 240 million was made to complete the manufacturing facility next year with an annual production capacity of 12,000 square meters. A second-phase investment of USD 360 million will also follow to expand the annual production capacity to 72,000 square meters.

The semiconductor glass substrate business also started through local industry-academia collaboration. Commercialization of the business was built on the combination of GPTC’s basic glass substrate technology and SKC’s processing technology and manufacturing know-how. This additional industry-academia collaboration with GPTC laid the groundwork for Absolics Inc. to participate in talent development and achieve recruitment stability.

Founded in 1961, GPTC is one of the largest and most historic community colleges in Georgia specializing in tech education. Over 1,000 students in fields such as industrial technology and computer science graduate from the college each year. GPTC President Tavarez Holston expressed his anticipation saying, “We look forward to a successful, long-term industry-academia collaboration with global companies SKC and Absolics Inc. that will contribute to local community development.”

An Absolics Inc. executive said, “This industry-academia collaboration with GPTC, which is the best industrial technology education institution in the region, will contribute to develop talent needed for the future semiconductor industry and build a local semiconductor ecosystem,” and added, “We will continue to expand industry-academia collaborations to ensure the future availability of talented manpower.” [End of _ document_]

[Absolics Inc. CTO Seongjin Kim (right) and GPTC (Georgia Piedmont Technical College) President Tavarez Holston holding the industry-academia collaboration MOU for semiconductor human resources development after signing it at GPTC’s Newton Campus on March 9.].jpg