Choi Jinseog, a former Samsung and SK Hynix government, performed a pivotal position within the growth of DRAM reminiscence chips at Samsung prior to now. He additionally contributed to Samsung Foundry wafer applied sciences and obtained quite a few inside awards for his efforts. After leaving Samsung in 2001, he joined SK Hynix, however a few years later, his state of affairs took a flip for the more serious.
In 2020, Choi partnered with an area Chinese language authorities to ascertain his semiconductor firm, Chengdu Gaozhen. Nonetheless, final 12 months, his plans have been derailed when he was accused of commercial espionage for stealing know-how and manufacturing unit designs from Samsung.
Choi supposed to make use of the stolen info to arrange his semiconductor facility in China with help from the native authorities. Moreover, it was revealed final 12 months that Foxconn was thought-about as a possible key shopper for Choi’s enterprise, although Foxconn denied any involvement within the commerce secrets and techniques leak.
Studies from the Korean media additionally spotlight the involvement of one other ex-Samsung senior researcher, Mr. Oh, who performed a major position within the scheme. Choi recruited Oh and different South Korean semiconductor specialists to steal Samsung’s core reminiscence semiconductor applied sciences and manufacturing unit blueprints.
Each Choi and Oh have been taken into custody final week, in keeping with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Company’s Industrial Know-how Safety Investigation Unit. A number of different workers who moved from Samsung and different home corporations to Chengdu Gaozhen are additionally being investigated to find out their potential involvement within the leakage of commerce secrets and techniques.
The leaked info, notably associated to the manufacturing course of, is estimated to be price roughly 4.3 trillion received (roughly $3.26 billion).
