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Industry Ministry, ARM sign deal to train over 1,400 chip specialists in Korea

Published: 05 Dec. 2025, 18:26 Updated: 07 Dec. 2025, 16:59

President Lee Jae Myung, right, listens as SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son speaks at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Dec. 5. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Korea signed an agreement with British chip design giant ARM on Friday to train more than 1,400 specialists as part of a wider push to reinforce its semiconductor ecosystem, government officials said.

The memorandum of understanding was signed by Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and ARM Holdings CEO Rene Haas at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, following talks between President Lee Jae Myung and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. SoftBank holds a 90 percent stake in ARM.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, the deal outlines four areas of cooperation: training 1,400 industry-ready chip design specialists, expanding technology exchange and related ecosystems, strengthening university partnerships and deepening joint research and development.

The government said it places particular focus on talent development. The Industry Ministry plans to run a chip design school, tentatively named the "ARM School," with the company from 2026 to 2030 to train master’s and doctoral candidates and industry workers.

ARM develops chip design intellectual property and is known for low-power architecture that is used in about 99 percent of smartphones worldwide.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, right, poses for a photo with Rene Haas, CEO of ARM Holdings, during a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony at the presidential office reception room in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Dec. 5. [MINISTRY OF TRADE, INDUSTRY AND RESOURCES]

Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, said during a briefing that the ARM School would become “a valuable asset in strengthening Korea’s relatively weak fabless and system-chip sectors.”

The Industry Ministry and ARM will establish a working group to discuss the school’s launch. The government is considering the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology as the leading candidate to host the semiconductor-focused program.

“This agreement has created a foundation to train the core talent that will support the future of Korea’s AI semiconductor industry,” said Industry Minister Kim. “We will do our best to build a framework for cooperation with world-class global companies as we prepare for the AI era.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected] ]