Even in noise, an independent On-device AI that accurately picks out a human voice and understands commands; an ultrasonic system-on-chip (SoC) used in automotive parking assist systems and robot vacuum cleaners; a high-precision analog-to-digital converter that controls the fingertips of humanoids—what do they share? One thing: innovation by Gwanak Analog. From everyday home appliances to advanced mobility and humanoid robots, Gwanak Analog will be embedded in every moving technology in the world.
Former Gwanak Analog CEO Kent Jeon emphasized that the core competitiveness in the AI era lies in semiconductors that implement software into actual products. Gwanak Analog is a fabless (semiconductor design) corporations founded in 2018 based on an industry-academia partnership at Seoul National University.
Jeon is a global semiconductor business expert who served as head of Texas Instruments Incorporated Korea and as regional head for Korea and Southeast Asia at onsemi. He joined Gwanak Analog in July 2022 to lead sales and marketing and was appointed CEO last year. He said, "If the company had grown centered on research and development (R&D) until now, it is now at a stage to secure global customers and deliver full-fledged business results."
Gwanak Analog currently operates with about 50 employees, and about 80% of them are engineers. As a corporations led by research personnel with master's and doctoral degrees from Seoul National University and KAIST, it has attracted about 25 billion won in investment so far.
Gwanak Analog's core product is an On-device AI chip. The strength of the product is integrating AI functions into a single chip to reduce customers' system expense and power consumption. The company has completed second-generation product development and customer validation, and plans to begin mass production of a third-generation chip with even better signal-processing performance and power efficiency at the end of this year.
Real-world applications are also increasing. A representative example is the AI voice recognition function applied to bathroom ventilation fans. It removes noise so that the user's voice commands can be accurately recognized even in environments with ambient noise such as fan operation sounds or running water. It also improves voice delivery quality in smart home devices such as apartment wall pads.
Jeon said, "Because AI functions are processed inside the device, response is fast and it is advantageous for privacy protection," adding, "It has been applied to robot vacuum cleaners and smart home products and will enter full-scale mass production starting at the end of this year."
Another flagship product of Gwanak Analog is a power analog system-on-chip (SoC). It is a semiconductor that processes signals generated by sensors and is used in air-quality measurement and ultrasonic sensor fields.
For air-quality products, it developed ICs that process signals from dust sensors and carbon dioxide (CO₂) sensors. This product is scheduled to be supplied to a domestic automaker in the second half of this year, and mass production preparations have been completed.
The SoC for ultrasonic sensors targets the automotive parking assistant system market. It is a key semiconductor that measures the time it takes for ultrasound to reflect off an obstacle and return, calculating the distance between the vehicle and the obstacle. Jeon said, "This market is currently led by companies in Germany, the United States and China, but Gwanak Analog has also entered the competition," adding, "We are already supplying products to a Southeast Asian automaker."
The SoC for ultrasonic sensors is also applied to robot vacuum cleaners. It is used for a robot vacuum cleaner to distinguish floor materials using ultrasonic sensors, determine whether an area is carpeted and control the mopping function. It is currently being supplied to a major domestic company, and the company is pursuing supply to global partners by the end of this year.
The competitive edge of Gwanak Analog's SoC is its "one-chip" structure. It integrates into a single chip the functions that previously required three to four chips. Jeon explained, "When the number of chips decreases, prices go down and errors that can occur during signal transmission also decline," adding, "From the customer's perspective, parts management and inventory operation efficiency also improve significantly."
Gwanak Analog's third growth pillar is a 24-bit ADC (analog-to-digital converter). An ADC is a key semiconductor that converts analog signals from the real world into digital data. In particular, in fields that require precise finger movements or fast responses, such as humanoid robots, ultra-high-speed, high-precision ADCs are essential.
Gwanak Analog completed development of a 24-bit ADC early last year and is currently moving forward with mass production and customer supply. Jeon said, "The humanoid robot market is still in its early stages, but rapid growth is expected," adding, "Along with the expansion of the robot industry, demand for related semiconductors will also rise significantly."
Gwanak Analog posted about 1 billion won in revenue last year. This year, it is targeting 5 billion to 6 billion won, and it aims to surpass 10 billion won next year. Jeon said, "This will be the first year we connect our accumulated technological capabilities to real business results," adding, "We will grow into a semiconductor corporations with global competitiveness in the AI, automotive and robot markets."