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Rapidus Chairman Higashi: "We're investing because 2nm is achievable"
"As chairman of Rapidus, having been in this industry for a long time, I say this with the conviction that Japan must achieve 2nm no matter what."
Terry Higashi, Chairman of Rapidus (former chairman of Tokyo Electron), emphasized this during a keynote speech at the 15th Bandi Jeju Forum held at Jeju National University on April 10, hosted by the Korea Society of Display Technology (KSDT).
Rapidus disclosed that construction of the Chitose factory (IIM) in Hokkaido—targeting leading-edge 2nm process technology—is progressing smoothly toward mass production readiness. The company held the opening ceremony for its R&D building, where process technology development and prototype fabrication are being carried out, on April 11. Key equipment including EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography tools has also been progressively installed.
Chairman Higashi unveiled drone footage of the Rapidus facility, stating, "The R&D building is nearing completion, and the opening ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow." He added, "There are buildings for quality analysis, employee workspaces, and a utility zone for handling chemicals, with actual manufacturing activities taking place inside the fab."
Rapidus is a Japanese foundry consortium established in late 2022 with the goal of reviving Japan's semiconductor industry, funded by ¥1 billion (approximately ₩9.4 billion) contributions from each of eight founding companies: Toyota, Sony, Kioxia, NTT, SoftBank, NEC, Denso, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank. Starting with these eight, an additional 20 or so companies—including Fujitsu, Canon, and Honda—have reportedly expressed interest in contributing, and with IBM also joining, the consortium is expected to expand to approximately 30 members this year.
Chairman Higashi noted, "From the 1980s through 1992, Japan held the world's No. 1 position with a 50% global semiconductor market share, but it has since declined to around 8% today. It's not just market share we lost—we also lost leading-edge logic semiconductor technology." He continued, "Meanwhile, the U.S. has revived its lost share, and in Asia, semiconductors have seen tremendous growth led by Korea and Taiwan."
He went on to say, "Currently, four major players—TSMC, Samsung Electronics, IBM, and Intel—are advancing semiconductor technology. The industry has progressed from planar in the 2000s to FinFET in the 2010s, and now to gate-all-around (GAA) 2nm." He added, "Japan has Renesas, which was at the 40nm level in the 2010s and remains around 40nm today."
However, recent developments show a growing trend of expanding collaboration with overseas manufacturers that have been successfully attracted to Japan, such as TSMC. Leveraging the Japanese government's large-scale subsidy programs, the strategy is to build advanced semiconductor fabs domestically and thereby expand Japan's influence in the global AI infrastructure market.
Chairman Higashi said, "Recently, TSMC has built a factory in Kyushu, Japan, working on 28/22nm, 16/12nm, and eventually 3nm production." He added, "Japan has fallen more than a decade behind the rest of the world, and it was against this backdrop that in August 2022 we decided to build 2nm GAA semiconductors. Rapidus was born from this context."
Securing 2nm Big Tech Customers Is Key — "The government is investing enormously"
Rapidus is currently devoting all its efforts to securing North American Big Tech customers based on its 2nm leading-edge process mass production capability. Internal personnel have reportedly been traveling to the U.S. to focus on business development. The company has already completed production of 2nm test wafers and is targeting mass production for external customers by 2027.
To this end, Rapidus is constructing Fab 1 (IIM-1) in Chitose, Hokkaido, with plans to add a second fab in phases. Production capacity at the time of mass production next year is expected to reach approximately 25,000–30,000 wafers per month.
Installation of key equipment for mass production readiness is also proceeding sequentially. IIM-1 has reportedly received two EUV lithography tools to date. EUV tools use 13.5nm-wavelength extreme ultraviolet light and are essential for manufacturing semiconductors at 7nm and below. Rapidus is pursuing a long-term roadmap targeting the installation of ten EUV tools.
Industry observers expect Japan to exert considerable influence in semiconductor manufacturing, leveraging its strong competitiveness in materials and equipment. Japan possesses world-leading materials technology and equipment capabilities, holding a de facto monopoly in advanced materials such as EUV photoresist (PR) essential for semiconductor fine-patterning, and Tokyo Electron (TEL) ranks among the world's top five semiconductor equipment companies.
Nevertheless, some view that even if 2nm product development and pilot production are achievable, securing meaningful market share through full-scale mass production will take time. Given that the foundry business inherently relies on years of accumulated manufacturing experience and customer trust, competing against established players like TSMC and Samsung Electronics will be extremely challenging.
Chairman Higashi concluded, "We're doing this because we truly believe 2nm is achievable, and the government is investing enormously." He emphasized, "The opposite of success is not failure—it's doing nothing. If you fail, you connect it to the next success. That's how semiconductor history has unfolded, and that's how the industry has grown."
