Japan Semiconductor Consortium Rapidus signed an agreement with the American company IBM for the development and manufacture of next-generation chips, as announced today. Thus, IBM joined other companies that announced that they will soon collaborate with the Japanese group of companies, which includes companies such as Toyota Motor, Sony and Softbank, to produce chips with 2 nanometer node technology by 2027. Rapidus said in a statement that it is Japan’s project to become a world leader in the research, development and production of next-generation semiconductors.
Announcing the world’s first 2 nanometer chip developing system in 2021, IBM is expected to bring its “decades of experience in semiconductor development and design” to a promising technology. 45% and 75% higher performance and efficiency, respectively to current generation chips according to the description.
IBM’s senior vice president and director of research, Dario Gil, said the collaboration is an “important step for the industry in building a balanced global supply chain and creating a vibrant ecosystem of like-minded companies and countries.” Within the scope of the project, Rapidus personnel will collaborate with the IBM team at IBM’s nanotechnology facilities in Albany, New York, USA, which is considered among the most advanced in the world in terms of chip development.
The formation of the Rapidus consortium was announced by the Japanese Executive last month, and in addition to the companies mentioned, Kioxia, Denso, NEC, NTT and finance group Mitsubishi UFJ joined. Last week, Belgian company IMEC in the same industry announced that it has signed another cooperation agreement with Rapidus, and other American and European companies are expected to join the project soon.
The Japanese Government contributed with an initial investment of 70,000 million yen (approximately 480 million Euros) to the establishment of the consortium, which plans to start production activities of the next generation 2 nanometer semiconductors around 2027. leader Fumio Kishida hopes to contribute to improving chip supply for national industry and related countries To reduce dependency on Chinaand Japan has lost its competitiveness in recent years due to the rise of Taiwanese or South Korean firms.