Quickly catching up with TSMC Japanese wafer foundry Rapidus will start trial production of 2nm process in 2025

According to news from IT House on January 27, Junyi Koike, president of Japanese semiconductor company Rapidus, said: It is planned to build a 2nm prototype line as early as the first half of 2025, and it will take 2 trillion yen to establish the technology, and 30,000 yen to prepare for mass production. billion yen.

The first prototype of this 2nm semiconductor trial production line will be completed in 2025, and then mass production will begin in the “late 20s” in order to catch up with world-class semiconductor manufacturers such as TSMC as soon as possible. Mass production of 2nm process technology in 2025.

IT Home Popular Science: Rapidus was established in August 2022, jointly funded by 8 Japanese companies including Toyota, Sony, NTT, NEC, Softbank, Denso Denso, Kioxia, and Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, with a capital contribution of 7.3 billion days In addition, the Japanese government has also provided a subsidy of 70 billion yen as a research and development budget.

According to reports, Rapidus plans to formally decide on the location of the 2nm production line prototype facility before March, and it is expected that the facility will also handle subsequent mass production. Koike said the site needed stable hydropower infrastructure and the ability to “easily attract domestic and foreign talent”.

The finer and more complex the circuits of cutting-edge semiconductors, the longer it takes from design to mass production. President Koike said that he will adjust the design support system and mass production process for user companies to shorten the time required for mass production. The goal is to differentiate itself from TSMC and South Korea’s Samsung Electronics, which are far ahead in terms of volume, through a business that can provide cutting-edge products in a short period of time. President Koike said that in the future, “aim for a system that only mass-produces cutting-edge products, and establish a high-profit business model.”

It is worth mentioning that the technical difficulty required for 2nm mass production is greatly improved compared with existing technologies. Although TSMC has a factory in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, this semiconductor factory, which is scheduled to start mass production in 2024, can only produce 12-28 nanometer products.

In addition, Rapidus signed a technology licensing agreement with IBM in the United States at the end of 2022, and IBM has successfully trial-produced 2nm products in 2021. Rapidus will send employees to the United States in the near future to master the required basic technologies.