Japanese semiconductor firm Rapidus announces 2nm trial production, eyes off TSMC and NVIDIA

Rapidus has just become the first Japanese semiconductor company to announce 2nm trial production, using ASML's bleeding-edge High-NA EUV lithography machines, and could enter the coveted supply chain for NVIDIA.

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TSMC is ahead with its 2nm production but Rapidus is coming in quick, leaving semiconductor competitors Intel Foundry and Samsung, in its 2nm dust. Rapidus is an emerging semiconductor company, using ASML EUV scanners in a facility in Japan, with 2nm production reportedly on track and ready to compete with Taiwan semiconductor giant TSMC.

Rapidus unveiled that ASML's bleeding-edge EUV machines were being installed by the end of December 2024, which is said to be a revolutionary development for Japan's semiconductor industry. Rapidus said that it will kick off pilot production in April 2025, with commercial development expected to start in 2027.

NVIDIA has always looked for new semiconductor partners to join TSMC but there hasn't been one until now, with NVIDIA saying they aren't ruling out partnering with Rapidus for new 2nm chips, especially as the Japanese company has shown some impressive yield rates and node performance.

• Read more: TSMC's first fab in Kumamoto, Japan secures initial orders from Sony and Denso
• Read more: Rapidus spending billions to restart Japan's chip industry to rival TSMC
• Read more: Samsung Foundry wins first 2nm AI chip order, stole TSMC client
• Read more: Samsung's first 2nm chip order is from a Japanese startup which didn't order from TSMC

NVIDIA is in great need of diversifying its supply chain (all of its eggs are in TSMC's basket) so Rapidus is rapidly -- pun intended -- coming up in the semiconductor industry, and NVIDIA has its eyes on the Japanese company.