"In 1988, we completed the first 4M DRAM in just 10 months and turned that chip into a tie pin to gift our researchers. It was a badge of confidence that South Korea could enter the global semiconductor race."

— Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) Official

The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) is drawing renewed attention for contributing to national industrial development by successfully completing South Korea's first 4M DRAM—affectionately known as the "rice of industry"—just 10 months after launching the research amid a semiconductor boom.

Established in 1976, ETRI has served as a core think tank leading the advancement of South Korea's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) over the past 50 years, driving national economic growth and industrial progress through the development of numerous core foundational technologies.

Last year, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of National Liberation, the National Academy of Engineering of Korea selected the "80 Industrial Technology Heritage Items," which included the development of memory semiconductors like the 4M DRAM—core technologies that enabled the "Miracle on the Han River" during the 1970s and 1980s.

A Bold Collaborative Model: Industry, Academia, and Research United
Efforts to develop semiconductors domestically began in earnest during the 1980s.

In March 1981, the government announced the "Electronics Industry Promotion Plan," aiming to restructure the home appliance-centric electronics industry around three strategic pillars: semiconductors, computers, and electronic switching systems. However, individual domestic companies and research institutions acting alone fell short of bridging the technological gap with advanced nations.

To overcome this, the government and ETRI opted for a joint development approach where industry, academia, and research sectors shared risks and technologies instead of working in isolation. In April 1986, experts from these sectors established the "4M DRAM Joint Development Plan," and by August of that year, the government's official joint development policy was confirmed.

ETRI spearheaded the research and development, while Samsung Semiconductor & Telecommunications, GoldStar Semiconductor, and Hyundai Electronics participated as joint research institutes. ETRI focused on core technologies and overall research systems—particularly semiconductor design, device engineering, and process technology—while the companies handled production base technologies.

Because the three companies were fierce competitors, agreeing on a joint research method to increase mass-production yields was not easy. Ultimately, they divided the development by adopting two distinct processes: "trench" and "stack." Kim Jung-deok, former head of the Korea Electronics Technology Institute, recalled that this was a unique approach that brought technological competition directly into a collaborative framework.

Beating the Deadline by a Year: A Symbol of National Pride

The government's designated development deadline was February 1989. However, driven by relentless day-and-night research, the team completed the 4M DRAM with a 0.8-micrometer ($㎛$) linewidth in February 1988—about a year ahead of schedule and in just 10 months. By March of the following year, they also developed mass-production prototypes boasting a 20% yield through process improvements.

To commemorate the achievement, ETRI crafted tie pins embedded with actual 4M DRAM chips and presented them to the researchers.

"To the researchers, that small semiconductor chip was not merely a prototype, but a token of confidence proving that South Korea could enter the global semiconductor race," Kim noted. "At the time, it served as a symbol of national pride."

Paving the Way for Future Generations of Technology

Even before the 4M DRAM development concluded, ETRI began exploring the 16M and 64M DRAM technologies then under development by advanced nations starting in 1988. They acted on the conviction that simply completing one technological stage at a time would never allow them to catch up to front-runners.

They launched 16M DRAM joint development in 1990, completing a prototype around the same time as Japan in 1991. This momentum led to developing the world's first 64M DRAM in 1992 and the world's first 256M DRAM in 1994.

DRAM (Dynamic Random-Access Memory) is a large-scale integrated circuit capable of reading and writing data whenever memory retention is required, primarily used in personal computers and electronic devices.

Recalling the moment he reported the 4M DRAM success to the President, former director Kim shared, "The President encouraged us not to stop at 4M, but to continue quadrupling our technological progress to secure a global standing." ETRI officials estimate that the industrial and economic ripple effects generated by DRAM development and related breakthroughs over the past half-century total approximately 494 trillion won.

Stepping into the AI Transformation Era

Core technologies spearheaded by memory semiconductors—alongside the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital mobile communication system and Time Division Exchange (TDX) electronic switching systems—played a decisive role in elevating South Korea's ICT industrial competitiveness.

"Over the past 50 years, whenever South Korea reached a critical turning point in leaping toward an ICT powerhouse, ETRI has delivered the technologies needed by the nation and its people," said ETRI President Park Se-woong. "We have driven national industrial ecosystem development by creating production-inducing effects across communications equipment, electronic components, and computer industries."

He added, "Now, standing at the new inflection point of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) great transformation, we will combine the ICT capabilities accumulated over the past half-century with AI to forge new growth engines for South Korea."

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