Marketing Electronics is our newly introduced webcast and in the first episode, we feature Guy Forster, founder of UK-based TKO Marketing. Forster says semiconductors will be at the root of finding solutions to mankind’s major problems, but first design engineers must continue to make error-free decisions.

By Bolaji Ojo

What’s at stake:

The semiconductor industry is at a crossroads — propelled by AI, but strained by geopolitical tensions, and desperate for innovation. Enter Rapidus Design Solutions, the marketing unit of Rapidus Corp., a company defying expectations and trying to reshape and influence the high-performance chip manufacturing market and Japan’s role in it. Rapidus is Japan’s new foundry formed a few years ago to give the country a fighting chance in the world of advanced semiconductor manufacturing.

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Rapidus Corp. isn’t just dipping its toes into semiconductor manufacturing. It is diving in headfirst, with the Japanese government playing lifeguard.

A state-of-the-art 2nm fab in Hokkaido, nearly completed after a mere three years, is setting the stage for Japan’s resurgence in chipmaking. Mass production is projected to begin in 2027, but the industry is already taking notice. Rapidus isn’t in full operation yet, and there are many challenges ahead for the company, including the possibility of it missing targets or failing to attract the customers it would need to crack open a spot in the global foundry business. Despite the obstacles, though, Rapidus is already making a name for itself in the market. Will the company sustain the positive take-off?

Read More »Rapidus Sparks Japan’s Semiconductor Comeback