【South Korea】In the AI Era, Industrial Diamond Emerges as a ‘Core Material’

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution led by AI and semiconductors, ‘industrial diamond’ is emerging as a new strategic material. While diamonds were primarily used for jewelry or abrasive tools in the past, they are now gaining attention as an essential material for advanced semiconductors, AI servers, and power electronic devices due to their excellent thermal conductivity and electrical stability.
According to industry sources on the 29th, the core of industrial diamond is ‘Lab-Grown Diamond’ synthesized through high-temperature, high-pressure (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology. This artificial diamond is physically and chemically identical to natural diamond, but its size and purity can be freely controlled, and it contains fewer impurities. Its thermal conductivity is five times that of copper and ten times that of silicon, making it known as the ‘ultimate thermal management material’ for rapidly cooling semiconductors.

As computational density increases, heat generation in AI servers and data centers surges dramatically. In environments where hundreds of GPUs operate simultaneously, cooling efficiency directly translates to system performance. Applying diamond substrates to semiconductor packaging, power modules, or high-frequency electronic devices can yield far superior thermal management effects compared to existing silicon or SiC (silicon carbide).
Lab-grown diamond wafers are expanding beyond substrates for next-generation power semiconductors into various fields such as lasers, optical communications, and quantum sensors. Major semiconductor companies in Japan, the US, and Europe are already accelerating research on ‘GaN-on-Diamond’ structures. This technology is evaluated to operate stably even at high temperatures and can increase power efficiency by over 50%.
South Korea is also responding swiftly. The Homo·Hetero Epitaxy technology being jointly pursued by KDT Diamond and the University of Seoul is key to developing industrial diamond substrates. They are conducting experiments to grow large-area, high-purity single-crystal diamonds using CVD technology and convert them into semiconductor wafers. Their goals are to establish a pilot line by 2027 and achieve mass production by 2030.
The industrial impact is significant. In high-temperature, high-power environments such as semiconductors, power electronics, optics, aerospace, and defense, diamond can establish itself as the ‘ultimate heat sink and insulator’. Global market research institutions forecast that the industrial diamond market will grow to $2.5 billion (approximately 3 trillion won) by 2030.

The problem is that the domestic ecosystem is still in its infancy. High-quality synthesis technology, substrate growth equipment, and precision cutting/slicing technologies largely depend on imports. In contrast, China, led by its government, is rapidly dominating the market by establishing large-scale CVD diamond complexes and achieving equipment localization.
Experts unanimously agree: “To prepare for the AI and semiconductor era, industrial diamond must be designated as a national strategic material, and efforts for technological self-reliance and infrastructure construction must be expedited.” A specialized cluster centered on industrial diamond should be created to foster an ecosystem where synthesis, processing, measurement, and application companies can grow together. Research for localizing core equipment such as CVD reactors, epitaxial growth technology, and laser slicing must also be pursued simultaneously.
Connection with the industrial field is also crucial. Joint demonstration projects with semiconductor and AI server manufacturers are needed to accelerate the process of applying diamond to actual manufacturing processes. It is also necessary to cultivate specialized personnel handling ultra-precision processes and high-vacuum/plasma technology and establish a system to certify material quality.
Industrial diamond is no longer just a gemstone. It is a next-generation semiconductor material poised to solve the heat problems of the AI era and has great potential to become a new pillar of Korea’s ‘small but strong’ industry. If silicon led the 20th-century electronics industry, diamond will underpin the 21st-century AI industry.

Now, Korea’s task is clear: to create a virtuous cycle structure connecting R&D, industrialization, and market expansion, and to grow diamond not merely as a material but as core infrastructure for the AI industry. If the world is already preparing for the future with this technology, Korea has no reason to hesitate. At this very moment, industrial diamond is shining as a new ‘gemstone’ for Korean manufacturing to leap forward once again.