“AI Semiconductor is the key to solving the heating problem”\n”We need to raise it as a Korean-style small manager.”
In the era of the fourth industrial revolution led by AI and semiconductors, ‘industrial diamonds’ are emerging as new strategic materials. In the past, diamonds were mainly used as jewelry or polishing tools, but now they are attracting attention as essential materials for advanced semiconductors, AI servers, and power electronic devices due to their excellent thermal conductivity and electrical stability.
According to the industry on the 29th, industrial diamonds are mainly ‘Lab-Grown Diamond’, which is synthesized with high temperature, high pressure (HPHT) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technology. This artificial diamond is physically and chemically identical to a natural diamond, but it can freely control its size and purity and has less impurities. Its thermal conductivity is 5 times higher than that of copper and 10 times higher than that of silicon, and it is considered the “ultimate management material” that cools semiconductors quickly.
As the computational density of AI servers and data centers increases, heat generation increases rapidly. In an environment where hundreds of GPUs operate at the same time, cooling efficiency is the system performance. If diamond substrates are applied to semiconductor packaging, power modules, and high-frequency electronic devices, they can achieve a much better thermal management effect than conventional silicon or SiC (silicon carbide).
Wrapped diamond wafers are expanding not only to substrates for next-generation power semiconductors but also to various fields such as lasers, optical communication, and quantum sensors. Major semiconductor companies in Japan, the United States, and Europe are already speeding up research on the structure of “GaN-on-Diamond.” The technology is evaluated to operate stably even at high temperatures and increase power efficiency by more than 50%.
South Korea is also responding quickly. Homo·Hetero Epitaxy (homogeneous and heterogeneous crystal growth) technology, which is being promoted by KDT Diamond and University of Seoul, is the core of industrial diamond substrate development. They are experimenting with growing large-area and high-purity single crystal diamonds and converting them into semiconductor wafers using CVD technology. It aims to build a pilot line in 2027 and mass-produce it in 2030.
The industrial impact is not small. In high-temperature and high-power environments such as semiconductors, power and electronics, optics, aerospace, and defense, diamonds can be established as “the ultimate heat dissipating material and insulator.” Global market researchers predict that the industrial diamond market will grow to $2.5 billion and about 3 trillion won by 2030.
The problem is that the domestic ecosystem is still in its infancy. High-quality synthetic technologies, substrate growth equipment, and precision cutting and slicing technologies are mostly dependent on imports. On the other hand, China is rapidly dominating the market by creating a large-scale CVD diamond complex led by the government and localizing equipment.
Experts say, “In order to prepare for the era of AI and semiconductors, industrial diamonds should be designated as national strategic materials and technology independence and infrastructure construction should be accelerated.” It is necessary to create a specialized cluster centered on industrial diamonds to create an ecosystem where companies that synthesize, process, measure, and apply can grow together. Research on localization of core equipment such as CVD reactor, epitaxy growth technology, and laser slicing should also be promoted at the same time.
Connections with industrial sites are also important. It is necessary to accelerate the process of applying diamonds to actual processes by conducting joint demonstration projects with semiconductor and AI server manufacturers. A system should also be established to cultivate professional personnel dealing with ultra-precise processes, high vacuum and plasma technologies, and to certify material quality.
Industrial diamonds are no longer jewelry. It is highly likely to be a next-generation semiconductor material that will solve the heat (熱) problem of the AI era and a new axis of the Korean small-scale industry. If silicon led the electronics industry in the 20th century, diamonds will be at the foundation of the AI industry in the 21st century.
Now it is clear what Korea will do. It is to create a virtuous cycle structure that leads from R&D to industrialization and market expansion, and to grow diamonds into core infrastructure of the AI industry, not just materials. If the world is already preparing for the future with this technology, there is no reason for Korea to hesitate. Industrial diamonds are shining as a new ” gem” for Korean manufacturing to take off again at this moment.
Reporter Lee Sang-gyu
