Japan's Rapidus teams with Toshiba, 17 firms for chip design support
In short
Japan's Rapidus will cooperate with 17 companies, including Toshiba, to help potential customers design advanced semiconductors and then handle production, according to a Nikkei report carried by Korean outlets. The state-backed foundry targets 2-nanometer mass production in 2027, with 3 trillion yen in Japanese government support decided so far. Korea Economic Daily described the move as building a design ecosystem along the lines of Samsung and TSMC.
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Japan's Rapidus plans to cooperate with 17 companies, including Toshiba, to help potential customers design advanced semiconductors and then manufacture them, according to a Nikkei report on Oct. 5 carried by Yonhap and the Chosun Ilbo. Korea Economic Daily reported the same alliance, describing it as a design-support ecosystem modeled on those of Samsung Electronics and TSMC. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Under the plan, the partner companies will handle chip design work for Rapidus customers, Yonhap reported, citing Nikkei. Rapidus, a foundry that makes chips from customers' design data, would then take on production. Yonhap said advanced chips are increasingly difficult to design, and that Japanese companies seen as potential customers lack design engineers, so Rapidus will lead the effort to support them and turn them into actual customers. [ 2 , 3 ]
The partners include Toshiba and Dai Nippon Printing, according to Yonhap and the Chosun Ilbo. Yonhap said the group is not limited to Japanese companies and also includes the U.S. design software firms Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems, India's Infosys and Malaysian companies. [ 2 , 3 ]
Rapidus was created in 2022 with full support from the Japanese government and operates on a contract manufacturing model, Yonhap reported. The company aims to produce 2-nanometer chips — 2 billionths of a meter — in the second half of 2027, and Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided on 3 trillion yen (25.5 trillion won) in support so far, according to the same report. Korea Economic Daily said mass production of 2-nanometer products is planned for 2027. [ 1 , 2 ]
Korea Economic Daily was alone among the three documents in framing the alliance as an effort to build an ecosystem like those of Samsung and TSMC, as Rapidus seeks to secure customers before 2-nanometer output begins. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
Rapidus is Japan's government-backed attempt to re-enter leading-edge chipmaking, and the alliance is aimed at lining up customers before its 2-nanometer output starts, which puts it in the same customer pool as established foundries. The documents indicate that the Japanese government has committed substantial support, making this a competitive development for the wider semiconductor supply chain rather than a purely domestic Japanese matter.
Key facts
- Rapidus will cooperate with 17 companies, including Toshiba, to support the advanced semiconductor design work of potential customers [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The partner companies will handle design for Rapidus customers, and Rapidus will then take on production [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Rapidus is a foundry that manufactures chips based on customers' design data [ 2 , 3 ]
- Rapidus targets production of 2-nanometer chips in 2027, with Yonhap specifying the second half of the year [ 1 , 2 ]
- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided on 3 trillion yen (25.5 trillion won) in support for Rapidus so far, according to Yonhap [ 2 ]
- Rapidus was founded in 2022 with full support from the Japanese government [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Rapidus will cooperate with 17 companies, including Toshiba, to support the chip design work of potential customers [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The partners will handle design work for Rapidus customers, and Rapidus will then produce the chips [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Rapidus is a foundry that makes chips from customers' designs [ 2 , 3 ]
- Rapidus aims to produce 2-nanometer chips in 2027 [ 1 , 2 ]
- Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has decided on 3 trillion yen in support for Rapidus so far [ 2 ]
Still unclear
- The identities of all 17 partner companies The reports name only some of them — Toshiba and Dai Nippon Printing in Yonhap and the Chosun Ilbo, and additionally Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems, Infosys and Malaysian companies in Yonhap only.
- Korea Economic Daily's description of the alliance as modeled on Samsung Electronics and TSMC's design ecosystems No other document mentions Samsung or TSMC in connection with the alliance, so this framing rests on a single outlet.
- Whether Rapidus has secured any actual customers yet The reports consistently describe the companies as potential customers and say the aim is to win them, without stating that any have signed.
- The exact timing of the 2-nanometer production target Korea Economic Daily says 2027, while Yonhap says the second half of 2027; the documents do not reconcile the two.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Korea Economic Daily reports that Rapidus is building a chip design support ecosystem with Toshiba and 17 companies, benchmarking Samsung and TSMC, ahead of 2027 2-nanometer production [ 1 ]
- Yonhap, citing a Nikkei report the same day, reports the 17-company design alliance, the partner list, and the 3 trillion yen in Japanese government support [ 2 ]
- The Chosun Ilbo carries the Nikkei report on the alliance [ 3 ]