Elon Musk waves the South Korean flag, urges: "Korean semiconductor talent, come"
Summary
- Elon Musk said he is recruiting Korean talent, retweeting Tesla Korea’s hiring post on his SNS for roles in semiconductor design, manufacturing, and software.
- Tesla Korea said in its posting for an AI chip design engineer that it is hiring AI chip development talent with the goal of developing an AI chip architecture that will achieve the world’s highest production volume.
- The market views the move as part of Tesla’s effort to expand its semiconductor talent base to bolster AI hardware competitiveness, including autonomous driving and the humanoid robot Optimus.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, posted a recruitment notice seeking South Korean semiconductor talent on his social media account.
On the 16th, Musk retweeted Tesla Korea’s job posting on his X account. Adding a South Korean flag emoji, he wrote, "If you live in South Korea and want to work in semiconductor design, manufacturing, or software, join Tesla."
A day earlier, Tesla Korea posted an opening for an AI chip design engineer. In the announcement, the company said it aims to develop an AI chip architecture that will deliver the highest production volume in the world, and noted that it is recruiting talent for AI chip development. It added that applicants must submit three of the most difficult technical problems they have solved.
This is not the first time Musk has shared Tesla-related recruitment posts. However, drawing direct attention by explicitly citing semiconductor talent in South Korea and clearly signaling a preference for a specific region and roles is unusual. The market sees the move as part of Tesla’s push to broaden its semiconductor talent base to strengthen competitiveness in AI hardware, including autonomous driving and the humanoid robot Optimus.
Last year, Tesla signed a $16.5 billion (about 24 trillion won) A16 chip foundry manufacturing contract with Samsung Electronics, and said Musk would stay at Samsung’s Taylor, Texas plant and be involved in the entire production process. This was interpreted as groundwork for a potential move into chip fabrication.
Kim So-yeon, Hankyung.com reporter sue123@hankyung.com
Korea Economic Daily
hankyung@bloomingbit.ioThe Korea Economic Daily Global is a digital media where latest news on Korean companies, industries, and financial markets.
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