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Japan Becomes Largest Shareholder in Rapidus With ¥100 Billion Injection as ¥267.6 Billion Round Closes

The move signals a state drive to rebuild Japan’s chip capacity despite a large funding gap.

Overview

  • The government now holds 11.5% of voting rights in Rapidus after investing ¥100 billion via the Information-technology Promotion Agency.
  • The latest financing totals ¥267.6 billion, including ¥167.6 billion from 32 private investors such as SoftBank, Toyota, and Sony.
  • The state’s overall stake is 40% when including non-voting shares that can convert to voting stock if serious problems arise at the company.
  • Rapidus is building a next-generation semiconductor foundry in Chitose, Hokkaido, and plans to move toward 2-nanometer logic chip production by 2027.
  • Total investment needed to reach mass production is estimated at about ¥5 trillion, with roughly ¥2 trillion committed to date.