Autonomous Driving V2X (vehicle-to-everything) semiconductor specialist Ettifos said on the 19th that it was selected on the 18th as a guaranteed company for the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT)'s innovative startup nurturing program Pre-ICON.
With this selection, Ettifos will receive a comprehensive support package from the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT), including up to 7 billion won in guarantees over the next three years, direct investment review, guarantee fee reductions, management consulting, and financial linkages.
Pre-ICON is a flagship program operated by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT) to identify and nurture promising startups with the potential to grow into Innovative ICON (ICON) corporations. Selections are made based on a comprehensive assessment of growth potential, technological strength, and innovativeness, and corporations gain the opportunity to advance to ICON, KODIT's top-tier nurturing track.
With this program selection, Ettifos secured investment funds needed to develop the next-generation V2X communication semiconductor ESAC (Ettifos SIRIUS Accelerator Chip) and a defense communication modem semiconductor. It also noted that it has secured credible verification from a policy finance institution for its planned Series C fundraising in the second half of this year and for a KOSDAQ special technology listing after 2028.
Ettifos was recognized for its technological competitiveness by being the only domestic company chosen for a standalone corporate profile in IndustryARC's V2X chipset market report. It has also secured global business results by supplying V2X solutions to eight countries, including the United States, Japan, and Europe, and by becoming the first in Korea to participate in the public infrastructure project of Maricopa County in the United States. In addition, it developed ESAC, Korea's first V2X-dedicated ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) that supports LTE-V2X and 5G-V2X, with its own IP, and is being evaluated as Korea's only V2X fabless semiconductor corporation.
Ettifos plans to concentrate investments of the secured guarantee support funds in establishing a mass-production system for the ESAC chipset and securing initial inventory; producing roadside units (RSU) and on-board units (OBU) in line with expanding orders in the U.S., Japan, and Europe; and research and development of 5G-NR-V2X and multimode V2X communication technologies.
Chief Executive Kim Ho-jun of Ettifos said, "The selection for this KODIT support program is an official recognition of Ettifos' V2X communication semiconductor technology and global growth potential," adding, "We will successfully pursue a KOSDAQ special technology listing after 2028 through ESAC mass production and global market expansion, and leap forward as a global V2X fabless semiconductor corporation."