About Rapidus
Rapidus is a Japanese semiconductor foundry, meaning it manufactures chips designed by other companies. It was founded in 2022 and licensed its 2 nanometre process technology from IBM. The process uses gate-all-around transistors, in which the gate surrounds the channel on all sides for tighter control of current. Its first fab, IIM-1, is in Chitose, Hokkaido, and the company reported working 2 nanometre transistors in July 2025. In April 2026 it said it was on track to begin mass production in the second half of 2027.
Rapidus was founded in 2022 and is based in Tokyo, Japan. It is listed under Custom Silicon. Reported funding is ¥267.6B (~$1.7B) JP gov+private (Feb 2026).
Compute Technologies
- Custom Silicon
What Rapidus works on
Custom Silicon
Custom silicon means a company designs its own chips for its own products or data centers instead of buying standard parts. The chip is made by a foundry such as TSMC, but the design belongs to the customer.
