Industry Ministry to Invest Additional 150 B. Yen in Rapidus

Tokyo, Aug. 24 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s industry ministry will include in its fiscal 2027 budget request 150 billion yen for an additional investment in Rapidus Corp., which aims to start mass-producing cutting-edge semiconductors, it was learned Monday. The ministry will invest in the Japanese chip company through the Innovation Platform Agency. So far, the government has invested 250 billion yen in the company. The ministry expects its additional investment to further strengthen the company’s financial base and attract more private investments. The ministry has also decided to provide about 2.4 trillion yen in research and development aid to Rapidus and is considering providing an additional 300 billion yen. In addition to government aid, the country’s three megabanks, including MUFG Bank, plan to provide a total of around 2 trillion yen in loans to Rapidus. The ministry will guarantee around 80 pct of these loans. Rapidus aims to start mass production of semiconductors with a circuit line width of 2 nanometers in fiscal 2027 and plans to launch production of 1.4-nanometer chips later. More than 30 companies, including Toyota Motor Corp. and Canon Inc., have also decided to invest over 160 billion yen in Rapidus. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]