Latest news with #AtsuyoshiKoike
Reuters
04-04-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Japan's Rapidus in talks with Apple, Google to mass-produce chips, Nikkei reports
April 4 (Reuters) - Japanese chipmaker Rapidus is negotiating with Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and dozens of other potential clients to mass-produce advanced chips by 2027, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday, citing the company's CEO Atsuyoshi Koike. A prototype chip line, which began partial operation on Tuesday at a plant in Hokkaido, is scheduled to be fully up and running within the month, the report said. The CEO did not name any specific customers but said the company is in discussions with Google, Apple, Facebook (META.O), opens new tab, Amazon (AMZN.O), opens new tab and Microsoft (MSFT.O), opens new tab.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan's Rapidus in talks with Apple, Google to mass-produce chips, Nikkei reports
(Reuters) - Japanese chipmaker Rapidus is negotiating with Apple, Google and dozens of other potential clients to mass-produce advanced chips by 2027, the Nikkei business daily reported on Friday, citing the company's CEO Atsuyoshi Koike. A prototype chip line, which began partial operation on Tuesday at a plant in Hokkaido, is scheduled to be fully up and running within the month, the report said. The CEO did not name any specific customers but said the company is in discussions with Google, Apple, Facebook , Amazon and Microsoft . Sign in to access your portfolio
Japan Times
02-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Rapidus begins pilot production of 2-nanometer chips in Hokkaido
Government-backed Rapidus started pilot production of advanced chips in Hokkaido this week, taking Japan one step closer to its goal of a return to semiconductor-manufacturing leadership. The company announced Tuesday that its plant near New Chitose Airport is ready for test production of next-generation 2-nanometer chips. Rapidus aims to mass produce those semiconductors — which are vital for advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence and autonomous driving — in 2027. 'It's a really challenging technology, but we've managed to make progress, and we can finally launch the pilot line.' said Atsuyoshi Koike, chief executive of Rapidus, during a news conference on Tuesday. 'This is a crucial step for the future.' Chips are more advanced — but also more technologically challenging — as the measure of the transistor gate size falls. Japan is stuck at the 40-nm level, but Rapidus has been teaming up with IBM to get technological support to make 2-nm chips. According to Rapidus, prototype chips will likely be produced in July this year. With semiconductors becoming increasingly crucial for economic security amid escalating geopolitical tensions, the Japanese government is seeking to revitalize the country's chip-manufacturing capability with a big bet on Rapidus. Japan has said it will provide up to ¥802.5 billion ($5.4 billion) in additional funding for Rapidus to support production of cutting-edge chips. With the fresh aid, the total investment in the company will be as much as about ¥1.7 trillion. Koike has said financial support from the government is really a 'must,' since competitors, such as China and the United States, are providing significant funding to their own semiconductor companies. 'Next-generation semiconductors are critical for areas such as self-driving vehicles and generative AI. As rival chip producers have yet to achieve mass production, it's important to beef up government support,' said industry minister Yoji Muto on Tuesday. The government aims to triple the sales of domestically produced chips to ¥15 trillion in 2030, compared with about ¥5 trillion in 2020. Rapidus was founded in August 2022 by Koike and former Tokyo Electron CEO Tetsuro Higashi along with other chip experts to develop a chip foundry business in Japan. Foundries, often called fabs, manufacture chips for clients based on their designs and other owners of intellectual property. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. dominates the market, while other players including Intel and South Korea's Samsung Electronics struggle to catch up. If Rapidus doesn't succeed, Koike told The Japan Times last year, 'Japan will be in trouble, and all industries will eventually fall behind."
Japan Times
31-03-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Times
Rapidus to launch pilot line for advanced chips on Tuesday
Rapidus is set to start the operations of a pilot line at its plant for advanced semiconductors in Chitose, Hokkaido, on Tuesday. The launch of the test line will be an important milestone in Rapidus' aim of beginning mass production at the factory in 2027. Securing domestic output bases for chips, a strategic item, is a pressing issue for Japan at a time when geopolitical risks such as a standoff between the United States and China are becoming more apparent. Rapidus was established in 2022 with investments from Toyota Motor, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. and other Japanese companies. The Chitose plant is slated to produce cutting-edge semiconductors with a circuit line width of 2 nanometers, expected to be used in artificial intelligence technology and autonomous driving systems. A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. Last December, Rapidus became the first Japanese firm to adopt extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, which is essential for making chips with narrow circuit line widths. "We will surely be able to start mass production by 2027," Rapidus President Atsuyoshi Koike said. "It's not an easy path, but we aim to improve the yield rate (in the pilot production phase) and ensure reliability." Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest semiconductor foundry, and other chipmakers are also preparing to mass-produce 2-nanometer chips. Rapidus is aiming to set itself apart from competitors by focusing on shortening delivery times.
