SilSkeye, a Swiss quantum-security semiconductor design company, is pushing to establish a $30 million (42 billion won) research and development (R&D) center in Seoul.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SilSkeye before the opening ceremony of the "2025 Seoul Investor Forum," which will be held at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido on the 22nd.
Attending the signing ceremony were Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon; David Ferguson, vice chairman of WISeKey, SilSkeye's parent company, and a SilSkeye director; and Loïc Ammon, SilSkeye's chief operating officer (COO). Founded in 2022 in Geneva, Switzerland, SilSkeye was listed on Nasdaq in 2023. A quantum-security satellite equipped with the company's semiconductors was successfully launched twice this year on SpaceX launch vehicles.
Under the agreement, the city and SilSkeye agreed to establish a quantum-security R&D center and will begin advanced technology cooperation and ecosystem building in strategic industries such as the Internet of Things (IoT), finance, healthcare, aviation, and satellite communications. SilSkeye will pursue personalization technology for quantum-resistant (post-quantum) semiconductor chips and the development of satellite-based quantum-security modules at the R&D center. The $30 million investment will proceed as a joint venture with domestic corporations.
Meanwhile, the city will host the 2025 Seoul Investor Forum, an investment attraction event, for two days starting today. It has been held every year since 2022. FuriosaAI, which participated in the 2023 forum, received a 2 billion won investment from a U.S. venture capital firm. FuriosaAI has grown into a unicorn company valued at more than 1 trillion won.
This year's event will be attended by about 80 overseas investors from major countries including the United States, Japan, Singapore, and Europe; 100 Seoul-based innovative technology companies; and related institutions, for a total of about 300 participants. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said, "Seoul is a strategic hub city drawing global attention," and added, "With the Seoul Investment Promotion Foundation set to launch next month to provide dedicated support for investors, we will be with you through every step of a successful entry into Seoul."