Key facts
- Rapidus will partner with 17 companies involved in advanced semiconductor design.
- The company aims to widen its potential customer base by helping clients develop their own branded chips.
- Rapidus is targeting mass production of 2nm chips in the second half of 2027.
- The company has secured ¥267.6 billion in combined public and private funding.
- The Japanese government is Rapidus's largest shareholder with an 11.5% voting stake.
- Most of the over 60 companies in talks with Rapidus are overseas firms.
Japanese contract chipmaker Rapidus is set to collaborate with 17 companies involved in designing advanced semiconductors, aiming to broaden its customer base by supporting clients in developing their own branded chips. This initiative is part of Rapidus's strategy to increase chip fabrication orders.
Rapidus aims to develop and manufacture advanced logic semiconductors using a 2nm Gate-All-Around (GAA) process. The company's integrated innovation and manufacturing hub in Chitose, Hokkaido, has been operational since April 2025, with mass production scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027. Rapidus is also preparing to license its process design kit (PDK) to aid in chip design efforts.
According to reports, Rapidus is in discussions with over 60 firms, primarily focused on high-performance computing (HPC), AI, and edge computing. Approximately 10 of these companies have received preliminary price quotations, and a handful are domestic, with most being overseas entities.
Financially, Rapidus has secured a total of ¥267.6 billion in combined public and private funding. Private investors contributed ¥167.6 billion, exceeding the initial target, with 32 firms participating. The Japanese government, through the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA), invested ¥100 billion, making it the largest shareholder with an 11.5% voting stake. Original investors, including Toyota Motor Corporation, NTT, Sony Group, SoftBank, NEC, Denso, Kioxia, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, increased their stakes, joined by 24 new investors such as Argo Graphics, Ushio, Canon, Kyocera, JX Advanced Metals, Seiko Epson, and Dai Nippon Printing (DNP). SoftBank and Sony Group are believed to be the largest private shareholders.
Looking ahead, Rapidus has ambitious expansion plans, including a potential second facility targeting 1.4nm output by 2029 and an initial public offering (IPO) in fiscal 2031.