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Korea Herald
15-06-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
SK Innovation earns first government certification for AI inspection solution
South Korea's leading energy company SK Innovation said Sunday it has received official recognition for an artificial intelligence-based solution that automates flaw detection in heat exchangers, marking the first government certification in the field of AI-driven diagnostics for industrial systems. The certification was awarded under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's New Excellent Technology initiative, designed to acknowledge emerging or enhanced technologies with significant market potential in Korea. The solution, co-developed with Ulsan-based AI startup Deep AI, leverages ultrasound to detect defects in heat exchangers with over 95 percent accuracy. It also reduces inspection time by more than 90 percent compared to manual analysis. Heat exchangers are critical to refining and petrochemical processes, as they regulate temperature during production. Over 80 percent of equipment failures stem from tube-related issues, making regular non-destructive testing a key element of industrial safety management. SK Innovation's Ulsan Complex contributed field data, testing infrastructure and operational expertise to the project, while Deep AI provided its proprietary data analysis technology. Supported by Ulsan Metropolitan City and the Ulsan Information Industry, the partnership laid out the foundation for industrial AI applications in manufacturing across Ulsan. SK Innovation and Deep AI aim to expand the solution's application to other industries such as power generation, batteries and steel, and to tap into the global equipment diagnostics market. Deep AI, backed by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, is considering entry into the next generation of nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors. "We will continue to collaborate with Deep AI to enhance industrial safety and competitiveness through AI and data-driven innovation," said an SK Innovation official.
Korea Herald
08-05-2025
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
ROOTS Develops Ultra-Compact 450㎛ PiG Technology Optimized for Smart Multi-Beam Headlights
SEOUL, South Korea, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- ROOTS CO., LTD., a company with proprietary Phosphor in Glass (PiG) technology—an essential optical component in automotive headlights—has successfully developed an ultra-compact 450㎛ PiG optimized for next-generation smart multi-beam headlights. This achievement marks a significant evolution of existing PiG technology, further strengthening ROOTS's technological capabilities and enhancing its competitiveness in the global market. ROOTS, a South Korean company specializing in high-power LED PiG components, semi-conductor-related parts, and chemical products, began developing PiG technology in the mid-2010s based on semiconductor processing techniques. PiG, a component combining phosphor and glass, plays a critical role in determining the optical characteristics of various high-power lighting products, including automotive headlights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and turn signals. In the automotive industry, demand for advanced lighting technologies, such as smart multi-beam headlights, has surged in recent years, leading to the development of various high-power LED modules. Among them, PiG technology plays a crucial role in delivering high brightness, excellent viewing angles (low color shift with angle), and optimized contrast ratios (low variation in contrast). To meet these requirements, ROOTS has continuously advanced its process technologies based on semiconductor manufacturing techniques to optimize PiG performance. Notably, ROOTS carries out the entire PiG manufacturing process in-house, overseeing every step from the fabrication and processing of PiG glass and phosphor wafers (including wafer fabrication, thinning, and polishing) to the final PiG chip production. As a result of these comprehensive capabilities, ROOTS's proprietary PiG technology has been recognized as a groundbreaking and innovative solution in the market, earning the company the NET (New Excellent Technology) certification from the Korean government. The newly developed ultra-compact 450㎛ PiG is optimized for smart multi-beam headlights and has achieved outstanding results in enhancing key performance metrics such as beam straightness, COA (Color of Angle) viewing angle, and luminance. Despite its reduced size, the miniaturized PiG maintains high performance, enabling more compact headlight modules while meeting the next-generation demands for miniaturization and high efficiency in advanced automotive lighting systems. Building on its expertise in LED and semiconductor processing technologies, ROOTS not only leads in PiG innovation but also demonstrates strong specialization across a wide range of semiconductor-related products. The company has successfully localized key materials—previously dominated by a few global players—such as silica slurry for silicon wafer backside polishing, diamond slurry for sapphire wafers, neutral flux cleaners, eco-friendly solder mask removers, and chemical agents for laser coating, all with equivalent performance. Through these achievements, ROOTS delivers advanced chemical solutions across the entire semiconductor processing spectrum. With the development of its ultra-compact PiG, ROOTS plans to expand its technology beyond the smart automotive lighting market into various other industrial sectors. By pursuing sustainable technological innovation and differentiated product development, the company aims to further solidify its position in the global market. The successful development of the ultra-compact PiG reaffirms ROOTS's position as a leading innovator in next-generation technologies for automotive lighting, including smart multi-beam headlights.
