At the heart of the plan is Rapidus, a little-known company backed by the government and some of Japan’s biggest corporations including Toyota, Softbank and Sony.
Born out of a partnership with IBM, it has raised billions of dollars to build Japan’s first cutting-edge chip foundry in decades.
The government has invested $12bn in the company, so that it can build a massive semiconductor factory or “fab” in the small city of Chitose.
In selecting the Hokkaido location, Rapidus CEO Atsuyoshi Koike points to Chitose’s water, electricity infrastructure and its natural beauty.
Mr Koike oversaw the fab design, which will be completely covered in grass to harmonise with Hokkaido’s landscape, he told the BBC.
Local authorities have also flagged the region as being at lower risk of earthquakes compared to other potential sites in Japan.
A key milestone for Rapidus came with the delivery of an extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) system from the Dutch company ASML.
The high-tech machinery helped bring about Rapidus’ biggest accomplishment yet earlier this year – the successful production of prototype two nanometre (2nm) transistors.
These ultra-thin chips are at the cutting edge of semiconductor technology and allow devices to run faster and more efficiently.
It’s a feat only rival chip makers TSMC and Samsung have accomplished. Intel is not pursuing 2nm, it is leapfrogging from 7nm straight to 1.8nm.
“We succeeded in manufacturing the 2nm prototype for the first time in Japan, and at an unprecedented speed in Japan and globally,” Mr Koike said.
He credits the IBM partnership for helping achieve the breakthrough.
Tie-ups with global companies are essential to acquiring the technology needed for this level of chips, he added.
AloJapan.com