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May 19, 2026
Signify boosts crop productivity and cost competitiveness at Yonam University smart farming hub with intelligent Philips LED lighting
- Philips horticulture LED lighting and the Philips GrowWise control system are applied to a five-layer commercial vertical farm and four-layer research vertical farm at Yonam University, South Korea
- University-based smart farming hub supports research, student training and validation of scalable commercial farming models
- System optimization delivers a 25% increase in energy efficiency and a 20% reduction in labor costs
Seoul, South Korea – Signify, the world leader in lighting, has installed Philips horticulture LED production modules and the Philips GrowWise control system in the vertical farm at at Yonam University’s Green Technology Innovation Center (GTIC) a research and training hub for smart farming in South Korea. These solutions enable precise control of light intensity and spectral composition, along with time- and date-based scheduling to support the development of optimized growth recipes for a wide range of crops and varieties including romaine lettuce, pak choi and marigold.
As a result, the project successfully reached benchmark productivity levels, while minimizing nutrient input and energy for lighting, achieving a 25% improvement in energy efficiency and a 20% reduction in labor costs through automation. In addition, integrated control powered by AI-driven farm management systems has enhanced overall system productivity and operational stability.
The project is being carried out in collaboration with LG CNS, LG Electronics, LG Science Park and FarmHannong. Mr. Jong Myung Lee, Project Lead at LG CNS, commented: “This project represents the development of a new production model where cultivation technology is seamlessly integrated with energy, data, and automation technologies. In particular, the collaboration with Signify has played a crucial role in enhancing the overall system performance through advanced lighting and cultivation expertise.”
Signify and LG CNS continue to collaborate on fine-tuning system parameters and light recipes, while accumulating data to simultaneously improve productivity and energy efficiency. The project is also expected to generate data and operating insights that support standardized growing recipes and future automation for commercial indoor farms. It aims to develop next-generation cultivation systems that shorten growing cycles while maintaining consistent crop quality.
The site is part of Yonam University’s broader K-smart farm hub initiative, designed to establish a scalable smart farming model suitable for implementation in educational, research, and commercial settings by integrating automation, logistics, and operations, ensuring economic viability for eventual commercialization.
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