[Reporter Mingu Gang of Edaily News] Professor Jaehyouk Choi of the ECE (Electrical and Computer Engineering) Department of Seoul National University (SNU) has been appointed as the Far East Regional Chair of the Technical Program Committee for the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC). Since its establishment in 1954, the ISSCC has been held annually in San Francisco, USA in February, and is now celebrating its 72nd event. Renowned as the "Olympics of Semiconductor Design," it stands as the world's largest and most prestigious conference in the field of semiconductor integrated circuit design. Each year, over 4,000 semiconductor design researchers from around the world participate, representing companies, universities, and research institutes, to present the latest technologies and discuss the future of the semiconductor industry. The Technical Program Committee is responsible for paper review, selection, and program organization, and currently consists of 190 of the world's top experts in the field of semiconductor design. Technical Program Committee members are affiliated with one of the regional committees of North America, Europe, or the Far East (Asia). The Far East Regional Technical Program Committee comprises a total of 75 experts selected from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Singapore, India, and other countries. Professor Jaehyouk Choi has been active as the Asia Regional Representative since 2022, following his selection as a Technical Program Subcommittee Member in 2017. Professor Choi will assume the role of '2025 ISSCC Regional Chair (ASIA TPC Chair)', scheduled to be held in San Francisco, USA, next February. In the future, he will represent Asia by attending the Executive Committee meetings, overseeing the selection of new Technical Program Committee members, deliberating on conference agendas, and overseeing regional events. Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=55477 Translated by: Jiyong Yoo, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, cyoo7@snu.ac.kr...

The Accelerated Intelligent Systems Lab (AlSys, led by Professor Jin-Ho Lee) of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department has proposed a methodology for accelerating the training of Large Language Models (LLMs) using SmartSSD. Training LLMs typically requires the utilization of numerous GPUs due to the large memory requirements. However, this study suggests a technique that achieves high performance with just one GPU, by utilizing a SmartSSD that can perform computations internally. This study has been particularly recognized for its utility in situations such as fine-tuning, where training times are relatively short compared to memory requirements. As a result, it was awarded the Best Paper Award – Honorable Mention at the 2024 HPCA (International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture, March 2-6, 2024, Edinburgh, Scotland), one of the top-tier conferences in the field of computer architecture. [Presented Paper] Smart-Infinity: Fast Large Language Model Training using Near-Storage Processing on a Real System, Hongsun Jang, Jaeyong Song, Jaewon Jung, Jaeyoung Park, Youngsok Kim, and Jinho Lee, HPCA, 2024 (left) HCPA 2024 award session, (right) Award certificate Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=55465 Translated by: Jiyong Yoo, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, cyoo7@snu.ac.kr...

Seoul National University's (SNU’s) College of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE, President Yongtaek Hong) achieved great honor by winning numerous awards, including the Special Award in the university division, at the 30th Samsung Humantech Paper Award. The event was hosted by Samsung Electronics and co-sponsored by the Ministry of Science & ICT, and Joongang Ilbo. ECE laboratories of professors Kyunghan Lee, Wooyoung Choi, Jongseon Roh, Jaejoon Kim, Wooseok Choi, Jinho Lee, and Jaehyouk Choi, received a total of 10 awards, including two gold awards. This achievement led them to be honored with the "Special Award for Most Awards in the University Division" and Professor Kyunghan Lee of SNU ECE also received the Special Award for Most Supervised Paper Submissions. Unlike individual awards that are presented individual recipients for their outstanding achievements, special awards are given to universities, high schools, and supervising professors who have demonstrated excellence in their performance. In the university division, Seoul National University received gold awards (with a prize of 20 million won each) in three out of the ten individual award categories. Among these three gold awards, two were awarded to students from the ECE department. In the field of Communication and Networks, student Jongyun Lee (Advisor: Professor Kyunghan Lee, Co Authors: Dr. Jeongmin Bae, Student Jaeyoon Hwang) was honored with the gold award for his paper on a learning-based congestion control technique designed to adapt in real-time to previously unseen network environments. In the area of Devices and Processes, student Jiseong Im (Advisor: Professor Wooyoung Choi, Co Authors: Students Jangseng Kim, Jonghyun Ko, Jeonghyun Kim) was honored with the gold award for his paper on the implementation of a high-density and highly efficient three-dimensional AND-type fully parallel convolutional block. Additionally, ECE students Seongjun Park (Advisor: Professor Jongseon Roh) and Jonghyun Go (Advisor: Professor Jaejoon Kim) were awarded silver medals, while Jihee Kim, Wooseung Nam, Shinik Park, Jongseok Park, Jungwook Hong, and Hongsun Jang received honorable mentions. The Humantech Paper Award was established in the year 1994 with the aim of identifying scientists and researchers who are to lead science and technology of the 21st century, among domestic and international university/graduate students and high school students. This year marks the 30th edition of the award, with a total of 1,189 papers submitted and 115 selected as award-winning papers. Seoul National University's ECE department has consistently produced numerous award winners at the Samsung Humantech Paper Award over the past years. The following table shows the detailed information of the awards received. Author Type Field of Research Advisor Department Jongyun Lee Gold Communication & Networks Kyunghan Lee ECE Department Jiseong Im Gold Physical Devices & Processes Wooyoung Choi ECE Department Seongjun Park Silver Communication & Networks Jongseon Roh ECE Department Jonghyun Go Silver Physical Devices & Processes Jaejoon Kim ECE Department Jihee Kim Honorable Mentions Circuit Design Wooseok Choi ECE Department Wooseung Nam Honorable Mentions Communication & Networks Kyunghan Lee ECE Department Shinik Park Honorable Mentions Communication & Networks Kyunghan Lee ECE Department Jongseok Park Honorable Mentions Computer Science & Engineering Kyunghan Lee ECE Department Jungwook Hong Honorable Mentions Computer Science & Engineering Jinho Lee ECE Department Hongsun Jang Honorable Mentions Computer Science & Engineering Jinho Lee ECE Department *Yoohwan Shin Silver Circuit Design Jaehyouk Choi ECE Department *Seheon Jang Bronze Circuit Design Jaehyouk Choi ECE Department *Students from universities other than SNU. Image from the Awarding Event (Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkmYzcMfoP4&t=25s ) Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=55423 Translated by: Jiyong Yoo, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, cyoo7@snu.ac.kr ...

Seoul National University (SNU) held the 2023 spring (78th) Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department graduation ceremony on the 26th of February, year 2024, conferring degrees upon 107 bachelor's, 23 master's, and 62 doctoral students. At the event, degrees were awarded to representatives and awards for outstanding graduate theses were presented, along with certificates of excellence to the top graduates. Professor Jinyoung Choi delivered a message of congratulations and encouragement for the bright future of the graduates. As part of this event, a video was created using photos from the graduates' school lives, allowing them to cherish memories of their university lives. Source: https://ece.snu.ac.kr/ece/news?md=v&bbsidx=55372 Translated by: Jiyong Yoo, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, cyoo7@snu.ac.kr...

Development of RIS Technology Compatible with Commercial Satellite Frequencies Installable on Skyscrapers without the Assistance of Additional Equipment Based on Transparent Materials, Performance has been Verified by Attaching to a Moving Vehicle [Edaily Reporter Hyunah Kim] We still have to wait at least 5 years for the commercialization of 6G where satellites become base transceiver stations, but technology that enables 5G operation at satellite frequencies has been recently developed and gaining attention. This technology is expected to maintain connectivity in various environments, including skyscrapers above 60-stories high, KTX trains cruising over the speed of 300km/h, and Urban Air Mobility (UAM, Small aircrafts used in urban areas, anticipated to become a new revolution in transportation). KT(CEO: Youngshub Kim), along with the Seoul National University (SNU) Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) research team announced last 27th that they have developed Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface (RIS) technology that operates at 5G wireless communication frequency bands (3.5GHz) and KT Skylife satellite frequency bands (12GHz). This technology was unveiled by KT at the MWC 2024. Usage on Outer Walls of Skyscrapers RIS technology induces the reflection and transmission of electromagnetic waves in desired directions. For example, if we attach RIS to the outer walls of skyscrapers, it enables the transmission of high frequency waves into the building, making it possible for receiving & transmitting such signals without exposing wireless communication equipment outside of the building. Such technology can help the construction of network infrastructures more efficiently. The RIS technology developed by KT and the research team of SNU ECE Department’s professor Jungsuek Oh, transmits not only 6G candidate frequencies, but also 5G wireless communication frequencies and KT Skylife satellite frequencies, through a small surface area. Until now, KT has been developing RIS materials and technologies that operate in the mmWave frequency bands (28GHz) and 6G candidate frequency bands (8GHz, 15GHz). On the other hand, the commercialization of RIS technology for 5G communication seemed to be more challenging, since it required samples with larger surface area, due to the relatively lower frequencies of the 5G frequency bands. However, the newly developed RIS simultaneously obtained a wide transmission angle of over 90 degrees (negative refraction angle) and a high transmission rate by utilizing novel structures and surface engineering technologies. The wide transmission angle helps in improving the quality of indoor wireless transmission. Also, due to the transparency of the RIS material, it can be easily installed by attaching it to a vehicle’s window or manufacturing it as an all-in-one structure. Performance Testing on Car Windows In order to verify the versatility of their RIS technology, the KT and SNU research team attached the RIS to a vehicle window moving on a freeway. They observed that signals directed perpendicular to the vehicle’s moving direction, such as 5G waves from communication towers of the outskirts of the freeway or KT Skylife satellite signals, were refracted into the vehicle. KT will continue to collaborate with equipment manufacturers, material & component companies to apply this RIS technology to building & vehicle windows. In addition, it plans to continuously explore key technologies applicable to various wireless network environments such as RIS to secure technological leadership in the field of 6G wireless communication. Professor Jungsuek Oh from the ECE department of SNU stated, "While most research and demonstrations on conventional transparent RIS have focused mainly on improving penetration loss, our RIS technology and validation have demonstrated for the first time that even under constraints of transparent materials and processing conditions, radio waves can be refracted in arbitrary directions, significantly improving communication coverage." Executive Director Jongsik Lee of KT Network Research Institute stated, "We anticipate that this RIS technology will enhance wireless service quality within moving vehicles. We aim to strengthen our leadership in new wireless communication technologies and contribute to the establishment of 6G networks." Researchers from KT R&D center(Seoul, Seocho-gu) and SNU are testing the performance of their RIS technology (Picture from KT) Source: https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=02020486638794784&mediaCodeNo=257&OutLnkChk=Y Translated by: Jiyong Yoo, English Editor of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, cyoo7@snu.ac.kr...