Overview
- The new subsidy lifts total state support for Rapidus to ¥2.6 trillion through March 2027, the economy ministry said.
- An external committee approved technical progress at the Hokkaido foundry, which cleared the release of funds.
- The money supports work tied to Fujitsu and design projects with IBM Japan under NEDO, a government R&D program.
- Rapidus still targets mass production of 2‑nanometer chips in 2027, though it trails TSMC, which began 2 nm volume output last year.
- Tokyo casts the project as a way to cut reliance on overseas chipmakers for AI hardware, even as higher energy and materials costs strain the startup.