South Korea and Belgium Develop First AI Chip Resilient to Space Radiation

On March 19, South Korea's Ministry of Science, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Chungbuk University, and IMEC from Belgium announced the successful development of the world's first AI chip that operates stably in space radiation environments. This technology is expected to localize AI chips for defense and space applications. The chip utilizes indium-gallium-zinc oxide and has shown stable performance under high radiation equivalent to 20 years in low Earth orbit, achieving 92.6% accuracy in handwriting recognition.

Published Mar 21, 2026

A collaborative research team from South Korea and Belgium has developed the first AI chip capable of functioning in space radiation. The chip, made from indium-gallium-zinc oxide, was tested for radiation resistance using a proton accelerator at 33 MeV, simulating over 20 years of exposure in low Earth orbit.

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The transistor's switching capability and neuron connection strength remained stable. The system achieved 92.6% accuracy in handwriting recognition. The group plans to further develop this technology for aerospace applications. The findings were published in 'Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing' on March 15.