Ironically, here in Utsunomiya, a major city north of Tokyo, I play pickleball with a few guys who work at Canon. In fact, during the hot summer months, they generously allow us locals play in their air condititioned gym.
This August, at the local industrial park, Canon finished a large factory building — its new semi-conductor plant.
However, I was told the market they are going after is not the high-end AI semi-conductor chips, but "OEM" chips that serve more run-of-mill purposes.
That's all I know, but if a FReeper has a key question to ask, I can pop the question between pickleball serves :-)
Thx for the insider info.