A former vice president and chief economist for SK hynix has joined the US government team overseeing a $52.7 billion fund to boost development and manufacturing in the chipmaking industry.

On Friday, the US Commerce Department announced that Dan Kim has joined the CHIPS Program Office as chief economist and director of strategic planning and industry analysis.

The program is aimed at spurring manufacturing and innovation in the US semiconductor industry under the CHIPS and Science Act signed into law by US President Joe Biden in August last year.

"I am honored to be serving in a leadership position at the Department of Commerce CHIPS Program Office. It is a rare opportunity to be at the forefront of economic competitiveness, technology, supply chains, and national security," he wrote on his LinkedIn page.

According to the page, Kim worked at the US States International Trade Commission from May 2015 to April 2020.

He also worked as director of economic strategy for Qualcomm for about a year before joining SK hynix Inc., the world's second-largest memory chipmaker, in March 2021. He worked at the Seoul-based chipmaker until December last year. (Yonhap)