【South Korea】”The Key to Solving AI Semiconductor Heat Issues” “Must Be Developed into a Korean-style Material, Component, and Equipment Industry”

Professor Song O-seong of the New Materials Engineering Department at Seoul City University is conducting an experiment with industrial diamond.
In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution led by AI and semiconductors, “industrial diamond” is emerging as a new strategic material. While diamonds in the past were primarily used as gemstones or abrasive tools, they are now gaining attention as an essential material for advanced semiconductors, AI servers, and power electronic devices due to their superior thermal conductivity and electrical stability.

According to industry sources on the 29th, industrial diamonds are centered around “Lab-Grown Diamonds” synthesized using high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technologies. This artificial diamond is physically and chemically identical to natural diamond but allows for free control of size and purity with fewer impurities. Its thermal conductivity is up to 5 times that of copper and 10 times that of silicon, making it the “ultimate thermal management material” for rapidly cooling semiconductors.

As computational density increases in AI servers and data centers, heat generation 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, and high-frequency electronic devices can yield far superior thermal management effects compared to conventional silicon or SiC (silicon carbide).

Lab-grown diamond wafers are expanding into various fields beyond substrates for next-generation power semiconductors, including lasers, optical communications, and quantum sensors. Major semiconductor companies in Japan, the US, and Europe are already accelerating research on “GaN-on-Diamond” (gallium nitride on diamond) structures. This technology is evaluated to operate stably even at high temperatures and can increase power efficiency by over 50%.

Korea is also responding swiftly. The Homo/Hetero Epitaxy technology being jointly promoted by KDT Diamond and Seoul City University is at the core of industrial diamond substrate development. They are using CVD technology to grow large-area, high-purity single-crystal diamonds and are conducting experiments to convert them into semiconductor wafers. Their goal is to establish a pilot line by 2027 and achieve mass production by 2030.

The industrial ripple effect is not small. In high-heat, high-power environments such as semiconductors, power electronics, optics, aerospace, and defense, diamond is positioned as the “ultimate heat sink and insulator.” Global market research institutions project the industrial diamond market to 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. Meanwhile, China, led by its government, is creating large-scale CVD diamond industrial complexes, achieving equipment localization, and rapidly capturing the market.

Experts unanimously agree. A specialized cluster centered on industrial diamond must be created to build an ecosystem where synthesis, processing, measurement, and application companies can grow together. Research on the localization of core equipment such as CVD reactors, epitaxy growth technology, and laser slicing must also be promoted simultaneously.

Linkage with the industrial field is also crucial. Joint demonstration projects with semiconductor and AI server manufacturers should be advanced to expedite the process of applying diamond to actual manufacturing processes. It is necessary to cultivate specialized talent handling ultra-precision processes and high-vacuum/plasma technologies and to prepare a system for certifying material quality.

Industrial diamond is no longer just a gemstone. It is a next-generation semiconductor material that solves the heat problem of the AI era and is highly likely to become a new axis for the Korean-style material, component, and equipment industry. If silicon led the 20th-century electronics industry, diamond will be positioned at the foundation of the 21st-century AI industry.
What Korea must do is now clear. It must create a virtuous cycle structure connecting R&D, industrialization, and market diffusion, and develop 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 “gem” for Korean manufacturing to leap forward once again.