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Gwanak Analog appoints Kent Chon as new CEO, focusing on market dominance through Product competitiveness

Gwanak Analog has announced the appointment of Kent Chon, former Chief Business Officer (CBO), as its new CEO after the sudden passing of Suhwan Kim, the company's founder and former CEO. Suhwan Kim, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University, was recognized as a leading global researcher in the field of analog semiconductors and played a pivotal role in establishing Gwanak Analog as a major innovator in the industry. The company holds over 400 analog semiconductor-related intellectual properties (IP), reflecting its strong foundation in research and development. 

Kent Chon, the newly appointed CEO, brings over 30 years of leadership experience from multinational semiconductor companies, including Texas Instruments, On Semiconductor, Intersil, and Tektronix. He has demonstrated significant expertise in semiconductor sales and marketing, and under his leadership, Gwanak Analog is expanding its product lines and has successfully secured development and supply contracts for SoC products with major international clients.

CEO Chon stated that the newly commercialized product lines are expected to drive substantial growth in both domestic and global markets within the next two to three years. Founded in November 2018, Gwanak Analog specializes in analog semiconductors and AI system-on-chip, having started as an industry-academia collaboration startup at Seoul National University. The company received its first seed investment in 2019, raised 7 billion KRW ($6M USD) in Series A funding in March 2023, and secured 18 billion KRW ($15M USD) in Series B funding in July 2024, achieving a valuation of 100 billion KRW ($75M USD).

Gwanak Analog also announced plans to begin mass production of its new AI MCU (Micro Controller Unit) in May 2025, leveraging proprietary technology to address diverse customer AI needs. All new technologies developed and produced by the company are based on its own IP, enabling the realization of high-performance, low-power analog semiconductors. Gwanak Analog is pioneering new sales channels by integrating sensor SoCs, targeting industrial, home appliance, and automotive embedded markets, as well as the newly emerging industrial robotics sector.

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