Rapidus Targets TSMC with 2nm Chips, Gains NVIDIA Interest

Rapidus announced 2nm trial production and integrated ASML’s EUV equipment, becoming the first company in Japan to do so and potentially becoming a major player in the world semiconductor market and a partner of NVIDIA’s supply chain. Today, TSMC owns the world, winning orders from all of the giants of tech thanks to its technological lead. By contrast, competitors like Intel Foundry, and Samsung have internal inefficiencies and other problems that put TSMC further ahead in terms of competitive advantage. But rapidly emerging semiconductor player Rapidus is making thundering progress with bold strides.

Rapidus Sets Sights on TSMC with 2nm Chips and ASML EUV Tech, Attracts NVIDIA’s Interest

As per Nikkei Asia, ASML’s advanced EUV scanners will arrive at Japan’s Rapidus factory by December, a major achievement for Japan’s semiconductor industry. Such cutting-edge equipment exists in only a handful of countries and this detonation is a landmark for Rapidus. It intends to commence 2nm pilot production in April 2025, with full-blown commercial production occurring from 2027 onward. That puts Rapidus on track to go head-to-head with competitors such as TSMC for advanced node business.

While NVIDIA is so dependent on TSMC, but also booking plans to diversify its supply chain, it is mirrored to the TSMC plans, and said it would like to work with Rapidus. Ctee reports that NVIDIA may be looking at a potential partnership for NVIDIA 2nm chips, due to the promising yield rates and strong node performance of Rapidus. Rapidus is an attractive option for NVIDIA, which desperately wants to avoid reliance on any one supplier, as long as it can deliver on performance and reliability.

Outside of NVIDIA, Rapidus is also finding traction with other industry players. IBM, for example, has taken on the 2nm nodes of Rapidus, and other companies have reportedly begun to express their interest in capitalizing on its semiconductor know-how. It won’t be easy to dethrone giants like TSMC, but Rapidus is on a good path. Such a move in technological progress means that Japan is not only able to find its place in the global semiconductor industry but also to bring new competitors to the stage and achieve diversification while innovating new technologies.

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