Under the agreement, imec and Rapidus will look to set up a long-term and sustainable collaboration on advanced semiconductor technologies. The MOC is endorsed by the Government of Flanders and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Rapidus is aiming to mass-produce chips with state-of-the-art 2nm technology in the latter half of this decade - these advanced chips can be used for 5G communications, quantum computing, data centres, self-driving vehicles, and digital smart cities.
According to the MOC, imec will support Rapidus in the research and development of leading-edge technology and the two will set up a strategic partnership, with Rapidus becoming a core partner in imec’s advanced nanoelectronics programme.
The MOC also contemplates collaboration with the nearly established Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC), which will serve as a research and development hub for 2nm technologies and beyond, in Japan.
Commenting Luc Van den hove, imec’s President and CEO, said, “We are excited that Rapidus intends to join our core programme and engage in bilateral projects on semiconductor device integration, on key enabling process technologies (such as advanced lithography) as well as system application-oriented projects. Building on our years of expertise in advanced chip technologies and on our global ecosystem of partners including the entire value chain of the semiconductor industry, we will support Rapidus in their intention to mass-produce chips with state-of-the-art 2-nanometer technology in Japan.”
