*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************
Atlanta, GA | Posted: August 17, 2005
Officials from the Samsung Electro-Mechanics Company (SEM), the state of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology held a ribbon-cutting August 17 for the company's new North American radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) design center to be located in Technology Square with the Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC).
The Samsung RFIC Design Center will develop technology for next-generation communication systems, expanding to system-on-chip devices for modem, digital and RF equipment. Innovations developed by researchers at the new center will impact a broad spectrum of Samsung's worldwide product offerings.
Over the next five years, the new center could employ more than 100 design scientists and engineers. The center will initially be located in the Technology Square Research Building, which also houses the GEDC.
In April, the company announced its decision to open the center in Atlanta, citing Georgia Tech's strengths in radio-frequency and mixed-signal research as major reasons for choosing the location. Center researchers are expected to collaborate with Georgia Tech faculty and staff on a broad range of issues, including contributions to the IEEE standard for cognitive radio (IEEE 802.22).
SEM is a division of the Samsung Corporation, a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies.
"The Samsung RFIC Design Center is the starting point for our collaboration with Georgia Tech and the state of Georgia, and will expand our ability to play an even greater role in bringing high-function, high-quality and low-cost products to the world marketplace," said Ho-Moon Kang, President and CEO of SEM. "We are pleased with the welcome we have received from Georgia Tech and the state of Georgia as signified in this ribbon-cutting event."
Location of the Samsung facility demonstrates the impact that Georgia Tech can have on Georgia's economy, noted Georgia Tech President Wayne Clough.
"Attracting first-class research and development facilities from global leaders like Samsung, a company known for its forward-looking leadership in the industry, is precisely what the GEDC was established to do," he said. "By leveraging Georgia Tech's research and educational assets, we can work with private industry to build Georgia's economy based on the technology industries of the future."
In addition to Georgia Tech's leadership in mixed-signal electronics, wireless devices and RFIC technologies, companies such as Samsung are also interested in recruiting top technical talent, Clough noted. Working with Samsung's RFIC Design Center will allow Georgia Tech students to gain valuable real-world experience in electronic design.
Joy Laskar, director of the GEDC, expects the collaboration with Samsung to boost the center's expertise and reputation in the areas of high-frequency high-speed electronic design, and the utilization of new technology in next generation communication applications.
"We are excited at the prospect of working with SEM Co. to pursue areas of common interest," he said. "We appreciate the confidence the company has shown through the location of the new design center with the GEDC."
Location of the design center boosts Georgia's reputation and demonstrates the state's positive technology development, noted Governor Sonny Perdue.
"We are confident that SEM will find Georgia an outstanding location for its research and development headquarters for these important new technologies," Perdue said. "Its presence here will add to the state's growing reputation as an environment that encourages and nourishes science and innovation."
Chang-Ho Lee, formerly with the GEDC, has been named director of the new design center. He said the collaboration with Georgia Tech will intensify as the company develops new relationships with the campus community and recruits Georgia Tech graduates to the company's technical staff.
About SEM: Samsung Electro-Mechanics was established in 1973 as a manufacturer of key electronic components, and the company has grown into one of the industry leaders, thanks to cutting-edge technology and top product quality. SEM pioneered the technological framework for Korean production of A/V components and the company diversified into materials and computer parts. In the early 1990s, the focus was on manufacturing chip components, multi-layer circuit boards, and mobile communication and optical components. In the late 1990s, operations expanded into the production of digital products with applied high-frequency, software, engineering and design technologies. For more information, see (www.sem.samsung.co.kr).
About the Georgia Electronic Design Center: The Georgia Electronic Design Center (GEDC) supports world-class research, active and solution-oriented industry collaboration, intellectual property generation and revenue generating commercialization efforts. Supported both by industry partners and federal laboratories, GEDC's research is broadly focused on fostering technology at the intersection of today's communications applications: wireless/RF, wired/copper and fiber channels.
Research News & Publications Office
Georgia Institute of Technology
75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 100
Atlanta, Georgia 30308 USA
Media relations contact: John Toon (404-894-6986); E-mail: (john.toon@edi.gatech.edu)
