Semiconductor manufacturing
Rapidus, an emerging and rapidly growing Japanese semiconductor manufacturer, has been selected as the “official business operator” by the government of Japan. The company, founded in 2022, will apply to receive up to ¥100 billion ($640 million) in investment funding from the Japanese government.
Rapidus officially broke ground on its IIM-1 facility in Chitose, Hokkaido in Japan in September 2023
Rapidus
Aiming to develop and manufacture the world’s most advanced
logic semiconductors, Rapidus was established in 2022 with the backing of eight
major Japanese companies, one of which being Toyota. This initial investment totalled
¥73 billion ($468 million).
In September 2023, Rapidus officially broke ground on its
IIM-1 facility in Chitose on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. It later opened
an office at the site in 2024. Since then, it has made significant progress in
the construction of the site, with prototyping of 2nm gate-all-around (GAA)
transistors on 300mm wafers having begun earlier this year.
Register now – The story of 2025: Key events, impacts and lessons of disruption
Join Automotive Logistics’ December livestream to reflect on a defining year for the global automotive logistics and supply chain community.
Rapidus has said it will release a process design kit (PDK)
to early customers by Q1 2026, so they can start designing their own chips, and
expects to begin mass production at the site in 2027.
Following its selection as Japan’s official business
operator by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Rapidus is
now preparing to raise funds from private investors and private financial
institutions.
It also plans to submit an application for investment of ¥100
billion ($640 million) by Japan’s Information-technology Promotion Agency, the
policy implementation agency of METI.
Since it was established, Rapidus has received subsidies
from Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
under two separate funding projects.
“We are delighted that Rapidus has been selected as the
official business operator and would like to take this opportunity to express
our gratitude to all Japanese government officials who supported us,” said Dr
Atsuyoshi Koike, CEO of Rapidus. “Three years after our founding, we have been
steadily progressing with our preparations to drive cutting-edge semiconductor
operations in Japan.”
He added: “Along with the private funding we are currently
working on, becoming Japan’s official business operator is a major step in
securing the necessary funding for the planned start of mass production of 2nm
logic semiconductors in 2027. We will strive to steadily achieve mass
production and ultimately contribute to Japan’s growth strategy.”
Rapidus will be competing for market space with the likes of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TMSC) and Samsung in Asia, both of
which are currently attempting to reach mass production of 2nm chips.
How important are semiconductors to the automotive
industry?
Semiconductors underpin almost every function in today’s vehicles, from powertrain management and battery control to infotainment, connectivity and advanced driver-assistance systems.
Read more: Dutch government suspends order seizing control of Nexperia in attempt to resolve semiconductor supply crisis
The Dutch government has suspended the order in which it seized control of chipmaker Nexperia, as it looks to resolve the semiconductor supply crisis in China.
The semiconductor
shortage in 2021 and recent disruption
at chipmaker Nexperia have emphasised the cruciality of stable semiconductor
supply to the future of vehicle manufacturing.
Once mass production of 2nm process technology is achieved,
these chips are expected to support the next generation of centralised vehicle
compute platforms, enabling higher-throughput AI processing for
autonomous-driving functions, real-time sensor fusion and advanced digital
services.
Their higher performance and lower power consumption will
allow OEMs to integrate more functionality onto fewer, more efficient
system-on-chips, reducing complexity and improving thermal and energy
management.
Although adoption in the automotive sector is likely to lag behind
consumer electronics due to qualification and safety requirements, 2nm devices
will ultimately play a critical role in enabling fully software-defined and
highly automated vehicles.
AloJapan.com