Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and Micron are pursuing a project to standardize charging for mobile robots used in semiconductor factories. Working-level staff from the three companies, together with SEMI and other major associations, have entered initial discussions to establish common standards for battery specifications, charging station equipment and communications, charger connection components, and battery management systems (BMS). The push reflects the judgment that efficiently managing heterogeneous robots is necessary to accelerate the automation of older fabs. Also under discussion is a plan to link charging information with the manufacturing execution system (MES) to allocate robot work and charging in line with production schedules.
The world’s three largest memory chipmakers have begun work to unify charging standards for robots used in semiconductor factories. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics (005930) and SK Hynix (000660), along with Micron, have been confirmed to be pursuing a project to establish common standards for batteries, charging equipment, and communication methods for mobile robots. Major associations including SEMI are also participating in the effort.
According to industry sources, working-level staff from the three companies recently formed an initial-stage consultative body and are identifying items to be standardized. They are also contacting experts in robotics and smart factories to gather input. However, it has not yet been decided how the semiconductor industry and the robotics industry will divide roles in establishing standards for each item.
The starting point for this effort is the automation of older semiconductor manufacturing facilities, so-called legacy fabs. Newer fabs are equipped with automated systems such as overhead hoist transport (OHT) that moves wafer containers along ceiling rails and stockers that store and sort wafers on standby, but facilities built long ago have relatively lower levels of automation. Some lines at South Korea’s Giheung Campus and Cheongju Campus are cited as representative legacy fabs. Even in newer fabs, processes that require human hands remain, such as inter-floor logistics movement and unpacking of semi-finished products.
Mobile robots such as humanoid robots, mobile manipulators (wheeled robotic arms), and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are being discussed as candidates to fill these gaps. The problem is that there are virtually no unified specifications for these robots, so specifications and standards vary from developer to developer. The more types of robots a company introduces, the more its management burden snowballs.
The first wall they hit is charging space. If charging equipment differs by robot model, the number of charging station types increases in proportion to the types of robots deployed in a factory. This is a critical constraint in legacy fabs that lack ample idle space. If charging station specifications are unified, a smaller number of devices can handle multiple robot models. This is why the primary goal of standardization is ensuring compatibility.
The next step is linking charging information with the manufacturing execution system (MES). By allocating individual robots’ work time and charging time in line with product production schedules, it becomes possible to boost productivity while deploying heterogeneous robots across hundreds of processes. In effect, the workforce management approach of drawing up worker shift schedules to prevent production gaps is being transplanted to robot operations.
Items cited for standardization include battery specifications, charging station-related communications and equipment, charger connection components, battery management systems (BMS), and system interfaces. Behind the decision by the three competing companies to join hands is the judgment that their interests align. If these companies, which account for more than 70% of the global memory market, set common standards, the development period for fab robots could be shortened and the automation transition of legacy fabs accelerated.
Robot charging standardization is a long-standing wish that has been raised in the industry for more than a decade. The need was discussed even when robot technology was not as mature as it is now, but discussions have begun to pick up speed recently as a worldwide robot adoption boom overlaps with a semiconductor upcycle. The fact that factory automation investment has begun in earnest on the back of record earnings is also seen as a factor.
Experts expect standardization to affect both safety verification and the pace of adoption. Park Soo-han, a professor in the School of Robotics at Kwangwoon University, said, “If charging methods differ from robot to robot, there are more targets to verify and manage from a safety standpoint as well,” adding, “Establishing standards would deliver substantial practical benefits.” He went on to predict, “Industry standards will shorten the safety certification process and bring forward actual robot adoption.”
Robot standards are not a task for the semiconductor industry alone. The German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) released a robot communication standard interface in April this year. However, attempts to establish standards covering not only communications but also components and equipment are hard to find in the semiconductor industry. Chang Young-jae, director of the Manufacturing Physical AI Research Institute at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), said, “Interoperability of heterogeneous robots is an important task not only in semiconductors but also in logistics and automobiles,” emphasizing, “Competitiveness will depend not only on the performance of individual robots but also on how easily different robots can be connected and stably operated.”
If this project takes shape, robot manufacturers will have to align their charging specifications, so considerable changes to development directions are expected. If a large demand source—the semiconductor factory—presents common standards, the risk of being locked into a particular company’s equipment also decreases. The industry is watching whether standardization will spread to discussions of robot standards by industry.
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