The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI), a pioneer in South Korea’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry, has announced its focus on securing strategic and foundational technologies to drive future growth as it marks its 50th anniversary.
ETRI commemorated both its golden jubilee and the 40th anniversary of the Time Division Exchange (TDX) system with a ceremony at its headquarters in Yuseong District, Daejeon, on Wednesday.
Since its establishment in 1976, ETRI has been the nation’s premier government-funded research institute, spearheading South Korea’s ICT advancements for half a century.
The institute has been instrumental in propelling South Korea to the forefront of the global ICT landscape through groundbreaking innovations. These include the TDX system, which ushered in the era of universal telephone access; dynamic random access memory (DRAM) semiconductors, which laid the foundation for the country’s semiconductor industry; code-division multiple access (CDMA) technology, which positioned South Korea as a leader in mobile communications; WiBro, which brought internet access to mobile devices; the world’s first ultra high-definition (UHD) mobile broadcasting technology; next-generation 5G mobile communications; and artificial intelligence (AI).
Looking ahead to 2025, ETRI aims to secure world-class 6G communication technologies and showcase the world’s first integrated wired and wireless services, preparing for the 6G era. The institute is also taking the lead in developing core technologies for 2.5-generation broadcasting and setting the course for next-generation broadcasting by simultaneously advancing ultra-efficient media transmission and ultra-compressed media coding technologies.
ETRI’s future focus will be on creating key growth engines by securing strategic and foundational technologies in various cutting-edge fields. These include 5G+ and 6G, AI and software, AI and system semiconductors, Meta verse, cybersecurity, supercomputers and quantum computers, as well as materials and device technologies.
Ryu Je-myung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, who attended the event, drew a parallel between the researchers’ dedication to the TDX project, often referred to as the TDX blood oath, which paved the way for South Korea’s ICT leadership, and today’s digital pledge to uphold AI sovereignty. He stated that this new commitment would serve as a milestone in elevating South Korea to one of the world’s top three AI powers. The Vice Minister pledged that the government would work alongside ETRI to write a new chapter in South Korea’s journey as an AI and science-technology powerhouse by increasing research and development (R&D) investments, improving regulatory frameworks, and fostering a robust collaborative ecosystem among industry, academia, and research institutions.