It aims to begin trial production in 2025.
www.extremetech.com, Dec. 20, 2024 –
Nvidia may have another fab to consider for its supply chain next year. Japanese semiconductor company Rapidus has the necessary ASML EUV lithography tech to start its 2nm process in 2025. The company is constructing a fabrication plant (Rapidus IIM-1)in the city of Chitose in Hokkaido, Japan, and is planning to have trial production going by April.
Getting the pilot line up in April will be a major milestone for Rapidus, but full production won't come right away. The semiconductor company expects to have mass production underway in 2027. Both TSMC and Intel are expecting to be producing 2nm and sub-2nm chip production during the second half of 2025, putting them well ahead of Rapidus for now. Still, it seems likely that Rapidus will be able attract major customers even if it is a little late to the game. With so few foundries capable of mass production at the 2nm scale and AI driving astronomical demand, we think Rapidus will be compelling to any major chipmaker that wants a deep bench for its supply chain.
Purchasing ASML's lithography equipment–especially the new, high-tech gear needed for a 2nm process–is not easy. Although ASML is a Dutch company, the U.S. has sanctioned China to keep it from acquiring the company's latest equipment. So far, the restrictions are working, as China appears to be several years behind TSMC and other cutting-edge foundries. (China, for its part, has ramped up production of older lithography processes, using the equipment it has to establish itself as a major supplier of older, cheaper chips for its customers.)
According to Ctee and Wccftech, Nvidia has left the door open to working with Rapidus at some point. Right now, TSMC is a major player in Nvidia's supply chain. The Taiwan-based company competes with rivals Intel (in the U.S.) and Samsung (in South Korea) for high-end chip production.
Lately, TSMC has notched several wins. For one thing, the company's plans to expand beyond Taiwan are well underway. Its new fab in Arizona (Fab 21) is already producing 4nm chips for Apple. The company also broke ground on a new fab in Germany this fall. (That fab could begin production in 2027.) TSMC's 2nm process is landing big customers. And, given that TSMC is becoming an industry revenue leader, 2025 looks like a good year for the company, even with Rapidus gearing up to compete in the 2nm space.