The company is to open an office in Santa Clara, California and has named long-time semiconductor executive Henri Richard as general manager and president of the US organisation.
RDS will serve fabless semiconductor companies, technology partners and others in the Americas who are looking to develop advanced semiconductors.
Richard brings considerable experience to his new role having held executive positions at a wide range of companies including AMD, Freescale, IBM, NetApp and SanDisk.
“This is an extremely talented and passionate team that is changing the way semiconductors are designed and produced, providing an alternative to current manufacturers and shaking up traditional manufacturing approaches,” said Richard. “With AI transforming every industry, the demand for advanced semiconductors is on the rise.”
Rapidus, which was set up just two years ago, has seen significant growth and recently announced the approval of two projects by the Japanese government.
The first is an extension of its 2nm-foundry front-end project for wafer development and the second a new back-end focus area on packaging, specifically on the development of chiplet package design and manufacturing technology for 2nm semiconductors. With its comprehensive support of both the front-end and back-end processes, as well as providing design solutions, Rapidus will make it possible for fabless semiconductor customers to achieve faster time to market when it comes to advanced devices.
Formed in 2022 with investment by the Japanese government as well as prominent Japanese firms including, Sony and Toyota, Rapidus is aligned in a strategic partnership with IBM for joint development of 2nm node technology. Its manufacturing facility, called the Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM), is currently under construction in Hokkaido, Japan, with production expected to begin in the coming years.
“We’re at an important inflection point for semiconductor manufacturing as there must be collaboration among multiple countries, governments and foundries. The development of advanced node technology is essential to lessen power consumption, and in turn help to address climate change challenges,” said Dr. Atsuyoshi Koike, president and CEO, Rapidus. “With the opening of our office in the Silicon Valley, we’re ensuring that our customers have the best support –from Japan and the US – to address their design and manufacturing needs.”
More than 100 Rapidus scientists and engineers are currently working alongside IBM researchers at the Albany NanoTech Complex owned and operated by NY CREATES in Albany, New York – one of the world's most advanced semiconductor research facilities.
Together, the organisations are developing processes to speed up the research, development, design and manufacture of semiconductors for next-generation industries including AI, 5G communications, quantum computing, self-driving vehicles and smart cities.
