Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is finalizing a plan to provide state-backed chipmaker Rapidus with an additional 300 billion yen ($2.27 billion) to build a semiconductor factory in Hokkaido, expected to open in 2025, Japanese media reported. launched in 2019.
Earlier news, Japan will increase financial support for chip maker Rapidus, because the company is committed to developing cutting-edge semiconductors, domestic production of such components is crucial for Japan to achieve excellence in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomous driving.
According to public information, Rapidus is a joint venture jointly invested by eight major technology companies including Sony Group and NEC in Tokyo last year. The goal is to manufacture cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips in Japan by 2025. Japan has previously said it will invest 70 billion yen (approximately $525 million) in Rapidus. This plan is coordinated by the Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC). Japan will invest USD 34.7 billion in Rapidus through LSTC within 10 years.
According to news at the end of February this year , Rapidus’ president Junyoshi Koike said after a meeting with Hokkaido Governor Suzuki Naoichi that Rapidus has finalized the policy of building a factory in Hokkaido, and the candidate is expected to be the industrial park in Chitose City, Hokkaido. In addition, he said it would need about 7 trillion yen to start mass-producing advanced logic chips around 2027, backed by U.S. chip giant IBM.