Imec is granting its Lifetime of Innovation Award to Dr. Kinam Kim, President and General Manager of Semiconductor Business at Samsung Electronics. The selection recognizes Dr. Kim’s leadership and strategic vision, as well as his undeniable impact in the semiconductor industries.

The award ceremony will take place on May 16, during the global edition of the Imec Technology Forum (ITF), one of Europe’s leading tech events on technologies and solutions that will drive groundbreaking innovation across sectors in nano-electronics and the Internet of Things, smart health, smart cities, smart industries and smart energy.

“Dr. Kim has been a driving force at Samsung for more than 30 years, and the beacon the industry has used to navigate towards further innovations and technological breakthroughs in memory and computing,” states Luc Van den hove, president and CEO of imec. “His unparalleled contributions, leadership and strategic vision have not only paved the way for Samsung’s role as a world leader in the field, but have also shaped today’s society and our relation with computers, mobile and other similar devices.”

Dr. Kim joined Samsung Electronics in 1981, and led the development and advancement of various memory technologies such as DRAM and NAND flash, and logic technologies such as Application Processor and Communication Modem. As CEO of Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), he spearheaded the research and development of technologies that have significantly impacted the semiconductor industry, such as graphene, carbon nanotubes and quantum dots, advanced materials, 3D fusion technologies, batteries and printed electronics.

Imec’s Lifetime of Innovation Award was launched in 2015, in support of imec’s commitment to recognizing the prominent individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the industry. Previous recipients were Dr. Morris Chang in 2015 and Dr. Gordon Moore in 2016.