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FDSOI's Path to 7nm is Blighted by More Push and Little Pull

FDSOI’s Path to 7nm is Blighted by More Push and Little Pull

By Peter Clarke

What’s at stake: As a semiconductor manufacturing process industrialized in Europe, FDSOI is partially a badge of honor that has served European needs while showing the world that Europe has what it takes in R&D and engineering creativity. But it is a badge that is becoming tarnished and out of date.

Fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FDSOI) is a style of semiconductor manufacturing that has offered an alternative to planar CMOS and FinFET for many years.

Now, the FDSOI manufacturing process technology is being pushed with European taxpayers’ money, with the goal to get the process down to 10nm and 7nm nominal nodes. FDSOI test chips are expected at 10nm in 2027 with further work happening in 2028 towards achieving the 7nm milestone.

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Rapidus Sparks Japan’s Semiconductor Comeback

Rapidus Sparks Japan’s Semiconductor Comeback

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.

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?

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