Rapidus Launches Pilot Line for Advanced Chips

Tokyo, April 2 (Jiji Press)--Rapidus Corp. started the operations of a pilot line for advanced semiconductors at its plant in Chitose, Hokkaido, northern Japan, on Tuesday.

Atsuyoshi Koike, CEO of the Japanese chipmaker, reiterated the company's goal of beginning mass production in 2027 at a press conference in Tokyo.

The company plans to make next-generation chips with a circuit line width of 2 nanometers, expected to be used in artificial intelligence and autonomous driving technologies.

The pilot line will go into full operation later this month. It will turn out a prototype chip as early as mid-July, Koike said.

The industry ministry on Monday announced plans to provide up to 802.5 billion yen in additional subsidies to Rapidus in fiscal 2025, which started Tuesday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]