Posted on 02/09/2024 4:55:13 PM PST by FarCenter
TOKYO -- Japan's chip startup Rapidus and a consortium of research institutes plan to start a project to develop chips more advanced than the current cutting-edge 2-nanometer technology, with 45 billion yen ($301 million) in backing from the government as it aims to revive the country's semiconductor industry.
"What's important is that the most advanced technology is in Japan," Rapidus Chairman Tetsuro Higashi said at a press conference in Tokyo on Friday. The government-backed startup aims to produce 2nm chips in Hokkaido as early as 2027. Higashi is also board chairman of the Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC), a research consortium that includes Rapidus, national institutes and universities.
LSTC announced on Friday that it will develop the technology needed for designing and manufacturing "beyond 2-nanometer" chips and also chip systems for "edge AI," intended for factory automation and robotics. Currently industry leaders Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung of South Korea are racing to produce 2nm chips. No production capabilities for this level of chip currently exist in Japan.
The knowledge gained from LSTC projects will be applied to Rapidus' test and mass production lines, but in the long term, it will also support strengthening Japan's semiconductor technologies as a whole, Higashi said.
Tokyo announced on the same day that it will provide up to 45 billion yen to support the projects. It is part of the government's broader support for projects related to Rapidus, in addition to the hundreds of billions of yen it has already promised to pour into the startup.
The projects are intended to create technological advancements and also spur demand for Rapidus chips.
"Until now Japan has been following the U.S.," Higashi said of the country's chip industry. But in order to grow, "we need to try to build new markets and demand while trying to develop cutting-edge technology. We need to make a cycle [of demand and supply]."
The move by Japan's chip industry comes as the island nation makes efforts to regain its former glory as a global semiconductor powerhouse. Rapidus is looking to spearhead such efforts, in part by helping universities and research labs in Japan determine where to allocate their resources in order to catch up to rivals.
Startups have about a 90% failure rate, big government-backed startups closer to 100%. The 2 nanometer name is just marketing. It does not refer to any 2 nm feature of any part of the chip. Although when big government calls trans-sisters 2 nm, they identify as 2 nm.
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