Eliminating 'Cables' from Electronic Devices with 'Wireless Communication Chips'… Global ICT Companies Extend Love Calls

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One of the current challenges facing the electronic device industry is 'cables.' Physical wires not only restrict spatial movement but also hinder flexible connections between devices. This issue extends even to the field of robotics, which increasingly mimics human movement. As joints operate continuously, cables can wear out and lead to contact failures.

Unicon, a fabless startup, is developing a wireless (RF) communication semiconductor called 'UC60' to solve this problem. Kim Young-dong Yoo Ni-keon (CEO) stated, "It is a semiconductor that uses the 60GHz band to exchange data over short distances of up to 1 meter at speeds comparable to wired cables." He added, "With almost no latency or interruptions, it maintains wired performance while enabling complete wireless connectivity."

Notably, UC60 supports bidirectional communication through a single semiconductor, giving it an edge over existing wireless communication semiconductors. Previously, products developed by global communication semiconductor companies required separate transmission and reception chips for data communication, whereas UC60 requires only one chip to be attached.

Kim (CEO) emphasized, "Compared to competitors, the number of semiconductors needed is halved, and the space occupied by the semiconductor in the product (installation area) is 4 to 5 times smaller." He further noted, "This allows customers to reduce implementation costs and increase design flexibility."

The market also has high expectations for UC60. Immediately after UC60 was fabricated at TSMC earlier this year, global smartphone manufacturers extended love calls. These companies are highlighting specialized features such as high-performance cameras and storage devices as detachable accessories for smartphones, and they have decided to utilize UC60 for controlling these accessories. Currently, two manufacturing companies are in discussions with Unicon.

Another demand source is robotics. Due to continuous movement, cable wear at joints and other areas is increasing. Kim (CEO) stated, "Contact failures caused by cable wear occur frequently, and there is a growing need for wireless solutions as 'tools,' which serve as the hands of robots, are often replaced." He added, "We are currently conducting pilot tests with various robotics companies."

Investors have also noted that such wireless demand is emerging across diverse industries. They particularly believe UC60 is the most suitable option in terms of communication speed and safety. Unicon has raised a cumulative investment of 33.6 billion won through its Series B funding round completed last February.

Unicon was founded by Kim (CEO), a non-specialist who graduated from the Korea Military Academy. After leaving the military, Kim (CEO) worked in sales at a company related to connectors and cables, paradoxically gaining rapid insight into the limitations of connectors and cables. Later, he met Kim Chang-wan, a wireless communication expert and professor at Dong-A University with a background from KAIST, and founded Unicon together.

Kim (CEO) is focusing on next-generation data center infrastructure. A representative project is 'Converting Idle Electric Vehicles into Data Centers.' This involves connecting electric vehicles equipped with high-performance GPUs for autonomous driving to data centers while they are charging, utilizing the computing power for AI operations. This idea was also proposed by Elon Musk, founder of Tesla, during his earnings announcement last October.

Kim (CEO) stated, "The computing performance of computers currently installed in autonomous electric vehicles is comparable to that of small-scale data centers." He explained, "While the vehicle is charging, its internal computers act as a distributed cloud and generate revenue for drivers." Unicon plans to conduct pilot tests with the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Economic and Scientific Promotion and NVIDIA.

Space is also a market target for Unicon. In the future, when space data centers or space stations are operated, data communication between numerous space infrastructures will inevitably need to be wireless. Kim (CEO) said, "Space is indeed a market we are focusing on." He added, "We aim not only to produce wireless communication components but also to transform the physical paradigm of data communication."

[MoneyToday Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]