Tokyo, Nov. 10 (Jiji Press)–Rapidus Corp. is considering a one-year delay for the start of its mass production of cutting-edge semiconductor chips, due to stalled development, Jiji Press learned Tuesday. The start of mass production seems likely to be postponed to fiscal 2028, against the existing target of the second half of fiscal 2027. This delay could impact Japan’s semiconductor strategy, as demand for advanced semiconductors is growing amid the spread of artificial intelligence. On Tuesday, Rapidus issued a statement saying that it will continue to make every effort to start mass production of chips with a line width of 2 nanometers in the second half of fiscal 2027. In July, the Tokyo-based chipmaker announced that it had successfully produced a prototype transistor for the chips. However, it has since struggled to develop technology for integrating transistors with one another and other components, an informed source said. The company is also struggling to improve the yield rate for the chips, another source said. Semiconductors with narrower line widths offer higher performance and consume less power. Currently, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest chip foundry, is the only company capable of stably mass-producing 2-nanometer chips. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. and U.S. chip giant Intel Corp. are also accelerating their development of 2-nanometer chips. Moreover, competition has begun to develop chips with even narrower line widths. Japan once led the global semiconductor market, but its market share declined due to the 1986 Japan-U.S. semiconductor agreement and the rise of foreign rivals. From an economic security perspective, the Japanese government aims to revive the domestic semiconductor industry. It plans to spend more than 3 trillion yen in subsidies and investments for Rapidus by fiscal 2027. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
