Can this new start-up chip foundry allow Tim Cook to relax when it comes to TSMC?
What Rapidus seeks from these companies is a signed contract to mass-produce chips in 2027 using the 2nm process node that TSMC, Samsung Foundry, and Intel are producing later this year (if you count Intel’s 18A node as “true 2nm.”). To help the company meet the 2027 timeline, the Japanese government has sunk 200 billion yen ($1.37 billion) into the start-up.
Rapidus is behind TSMC, the world’s largest foundry, at 2nm but the CEO of the start-up firm is optimistic. Atsuyoshi Koike believes that by using more advanced manufacturing methods, Rapidus can compete with TSMC and Samsung Foundry. Interestingly, Rapidus was funded by the Japanese government and major companies in the country such as SoftBank and Sony specifically to compete with foundries like TSMC and Samsung Foundry.
Rapidus and IBM have worked together on developing 2nm chip production. | Image credit-IBM
The Japanese company hopes to begin test production of 2nm chips later this month and toward that end, a prototype production line was created in Hokkaido. Rapidus hopes to begin making chips for customers before the end of this month. A deal with Apple would go a long way toward establishing the start-up as a legitimate challenger in the contract foundry industry. It also helps to have the financial backing they have from the Japan government.
