KAIST

< Photo of Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo (center) of the School of Electrical Engineering at the signboard unveiling ceremony >

KAIST held a ceremony to mark the opening of three additional ‘Cross-Generation Collaborative Labs’ on the morning of January 7th, 2025.

The “Next-Generation AI Semiconductor System Lab” by Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo of the School of Electrical Engineering, the “Molecular Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics Lab” by Professor Sang Kyu Kim of the Department of Chemistry, and the “Advanced Data Computing Lab” by Professor Sue Bok Moon of the School of Computer Science are the three new labs given the honored titled of the “Cross-Generation Collaborative Lab”.

The Cross-Generation Collaborative Lab is KAIST’s unique system that was set up to facilitate the collaboration between retiring professors and junior professors to continue the achievements and know-how the elders have accumulated over their academic career. Since its introduction in 2018, nine labs have been named to be the Cross-Generation Labs, and this year’s new addition brings the total up to twelve.

The ‘Next-Generation AI Semiconductor System Lab’ led by Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo will be operated by Professor Joo-Young Kim of the same school.

Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo is a world-renowned scholar with outstanding research achievements in the field of on-device AI semiconductor design. Professor Joo-Young Kim is an up-and-coming researcher studying large language models and design of AI semiconductors for server computers, and is currently researching technologies to design PIM (Processing-in-Memory), a core technology in the field of AI semiconductors.

Their research goal is to systematically collaborate and transfer next-generation AI semiconductor design technology, including brain-mimicking AI algorithms such as deep neural networks and generative AI, to integrate core technologies, and to maximize the usability of R&D outputs, thereby further solidifying the position of Korean AI semiconductor companies in the global market.

Professor Hoi-Jun Yoo said, “I believe that, we will be able to present a development direction of for the next-generation AI semiconductors industries at home and abroad through collaborative research and play a key role in transferring and expanding global leadership.”

< Professor Sang Kyu Kim of the Department of Chemistry (middle), at the signboard unveiling ceremony for his laboratory >

The “Molecular Spectroscopy and Chemical Dynamics Laboratory”, where Professor Sang Kyu Kim of the Department of Chemistry is in charge, will be operated by Professor Tae Kyu Kim of the same department, and another professor in the field of spectroscopy and dynamics will join in the future.

Professor Sang Kyu Kim has secured technologies for developing unique experimental equipment based on ultrashort lasers and supersonic molecular beams, and is a world leader who has been creatively pioneering new fields of experimental physical chemistry.

The research goal is to describe chemical reactions and verify from a quantum mechanical perspective and introduce new theories and technologies to pursue a complete understanding of the principles of chemical reactions. In addition, the accompanying basic scientific knowledge will be applied to the design of new materials.

Professor Sang Kyu Kim said, “I am very happy to be able to pass on the research infrastructure to the next generation through this system, and I will continue to nurture it to grow into a world-class research lab through trans-generational collaborative research.”

< Photo of Professor Sue Bok Moon (center) at the signboard unveiling ceremony by the School of Computing >

Lastly, the “Advanced Data Computing Lab” led by Professor Sue Bok Moon is joined by Professor Mee Young Cha of the same school and Professor Wonjae Lee of the Graduate School of Culture Technology.

Professor Sue Bok Moon showed the infinite possibilities of large-scale data-based social network research through Cyworld, YouTube, and Twitter, and had a great influence on related fields beyond the field of computer science.

Professor Mee Young Cha is a data scientist who analyzes difficult social issues such as misinformation, poverty, and disaster detection using big data-based AI. She is the first Korean to be recognized for her achievements as the director of the Max Planck Institute in Germany, a world-class basic science research institute. Therefore, there is high expectation for synergy effects from overseas collaborative research and technology transfer and sharing among the participating professors of the collaborative research lab. Professor Wonjae Lee is researching dynamic interaction analysis between science and technology using structural topic models.

They plan to conduct research aimed at improving the analysis and understanding of negative influences occurring online, and in particular, developing a hateful precursor detection model using emotions and morality to preemptively block hateful expressions.

Professor Sue Bok Moon said, “Through this collaborative research lab, we will play a key role in conducting in-depth collaborative research on unexpected negative influences in the AI era so that we can have a high level of competitiveness worldwide.”

The ceremonies for the unveiling of the new Cross-Generation Collaborative Lab signboard were held in front of each lab from 10:00 AM on the 7th, in the attendance of President Kwang Hyung Lee, Senior Vice President for Research Sang Yup Lee, and other key officials of KAIST and the new staff members to join the laboratories.