Rapidus, one of Japan's biggest native chipmakers, now plans to take its 2nm production ambitions to new heights, aiming to reach a respectable production capacity by 2028.
Rapidus Plans to Achieve 60,000 WPM By 2028 For Its 2nm Process, Making It Japan's Most Ambitious Chip Fab
The semiconductor industry is heating up, not just in terms of the competition it faces, but also in the demand foundries like TSMC are seeing amid the AI frenzy. While most chip orders are currently focused on the Taiwan chip giant, it appears that multiple competitors are seeking an 'opening window', among them Rapidus. The Japanese chipmaker is pursuing its 2nm process aggressively, and according to a new report, it is revealed that the company plans to begin full-scale production by 2028, scaling up to 25,000 WPM output, which is an impressive feat.
Rapidus has been pursuing cutting-edge semiconductor production for several years, but the company recently made a breakthrough by announcing that PDK kits will be available to customers this year. The foundry has taken a rather 'bold move' to enter the 2nm race directly, and it is likely to be relevant in the industry almost immediately, given that demand for high-end nodes has reached levels we have never seen before. For now, it has been revealed that by 2027, the company will have a capacity of up to 6,000 WPM, and output will increase by four times the following year.
Details around Rapidus' 2nm process are slim, except that we know it will be called "2HP" and, according to a previous report, the node will feature a logic density of 237.31 MTr/mm², on par with TSMC's N2. More importantly, Rapidus also plans to employ single-wafer front-end processing, a one-of-a-kind approach focused on making adjustments at limited production volume and then scaling the improvements for better results. The company's ambitions surely look promising, but the interesting question is how HVM turns out.
Interestingly, TSMC has also aggressively scaled up its Kumamoto fab plans in recent times, officially announcing a switch to 3nm with the construction of the second fab in the region. While the move is more focused on addressing global demand, it won't be wrong to say that the company seems formidable competition for Rapidus, at least in terms of the latter's ambitions.
About the author: Muhammad Zuhair is a hardware and technology reporter for Wccftech, specializing in the semiconductor industry and the complex interplay between technology, manufacturing, and geopolitics. His coverage focuses on the corporate strategies and technological roadmaps of industry giants like TSMC, NVIDIA, Samsung, and Intel. Zuhair's expertise lies in deconstructing complex topics such as fabrication nodes (e.g., 2nm process), the economic impact of policies like the CHIPS Act, and the strategic development of AI infrastructure from NVIDIA, AMD and Intel.
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