Korea’s own processor technology introduced in 2001 wasn’t popularized, overshadowed by ones by such foreign companies as ARM, MIPS, ARC, Tensilica, etc. Above all, negative perception of domestic CPU technology made it difficult for it to enter relevant markets. 

With powerful overseas competitors possessing strong technologies, it is extremely difficult for Korean companies to develop competent domestic products. Even after launching new products, they need to exert as much efforts as when they were developing products to overcome industry’s prejudice toward domestic products.

First priority for domestic CPU is to gain industry’s trust

The situation is the same for domestic CPU project launched last year. Yong-Ho Song, Leader of Intelligent Semiconductor Promotion Project Team which has organized the project, emphasized that the domestic CPU development project ‘must produce visible outcome.’ In other words, without substantial result, there won’t be any next project. Fortunately, some of the project outcome was tangible and its potential has been verified, according to him.

Apparently, foreign products can’t compete with domestic ones in terms of price competitiveness or technical support. As it is, Korean companies using domestic CPU cores regard the fact that they can count on immediate and convenient support from the domestic companies as a significant advantage. Now, Korean CPU developers need to publicize the availability of useful domestic CPUs more aggressively while continuously improving their products and sufficiently reflecting opinions of potential clients to their products.

 
▲eMCore processor from Advanced Digital Chips has achieved accumulated shipping volume of around 50 million units during past 18 years.

The future of domestic CPU is still uncertain and development project for domestic CPU core won’t tread an easy path. It is an undeniable fact that domestic CPUs have as many cons as there are pros. An industry official expressed his feeling about domestic CPUs, that he is not sure yet if using them would return as ‘money’ or ‘a bomb’. From user’s point of view, it should be safer to use foreign products which have already proven their high reliability than to risk problems by using domestic products.

Thus, the challenge for Korean developers of domestic CPUs is to provide confidence and dispel such worries since, without it, proliferation of domestic CPUs is not likely to be materialized in the foreseeable future.