Rapidus targeting 2nm chip production for Broadcom
Fresh reports say Japanese foundry Rapidus will begin trial production of 2nm chips in April 2025, and has Broadcom lined up as its first major customer.
According to a report by TrendForce, which references MoneyDJ and Nikkei, the Japanese firm is set to supply 2nm chip samples to Broadcom by June of this year. Fabless semiconductor firm Broadcom specialises in designing chips for data centres, and counts Google and Meta among its customers. Full 2nm production could be ready by 2027 at a plant in the city of Chitose in Hokkaido.
By entering the 2nm space, Rapidus is taking on the market leader, contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. TSMC is pushing ahead with 2nm chip production at multiple sites though it is focusing on supplying the world's biggest chip designers such as Nvidia first.
Rapidus appears to be benefiting from the flight of US companies away from Chinese fabs. Broadcom is one example. Earlier reports suggested that IBM is collaborating with Rapidus on this 2nm project too.
To accelerate this migration, the Japanese government is committing significant investment in its domestic fabs. Over the past three years, Japan has pledged USD 26 billion to boost its semiconductor sector.
Last month, Evertiq reported that Japan’s government plans to invest ¥100 billion (USD 635 million) in Rapidus as part of its fiscal 2025 budget. Rapidus Corporation was founded in 2022 by the government and eight domestic firms to develop and manufacture advanced chips. Toyota and Sony are among its investors.
