The agreement will see Rapidus become Quest Global's new semiconductor foundry partner, enabling it to provide a wide range of solutions to its customers.
Quest Global customers will be able to leverage Rapidus' 2nm gate-all-around (GAA) manufacturing process to develop engineering design and manufacturing solutions that will support growing industry demand for low-power artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors.
The agreement will enable both companies to deliver transformational silicon solutions as a virtual integrated device manufacturer (IDM) model for fabless companies.
The AI semiconductor industry is in its early stages, with applications just beginning to emerge and new entrants quickly coming to market. Customers are expected to shift from general-purpose AI semiconductors to dedicated designs that reduce power consumption and maximise performance.
In order to support these industry requirements, customers will need to engage with design firms focused on providing custom solutions, such as Quest Global, while also collaborating with semiconductor foundries, like Rapidus, that can manufacture dedicated semiconductors with a short turnaround time.
Rapidus said that it will look to leverage its pioneering Rapid and Unified Manufacturing Service (RUMS) model that will shorten time-to-market for customers by providing design support and integrated front-end and back-end processes in collaboration with ecosystem partners such as Quest Global.
"As we enter the transformational era of AI, it is critical for the semiconductor industry to establish a new framework for the stable and seamless design, development and manufacturing of AI-driven advanced-node chips," said Ajit Prabhu, co-founder and CEO, Quest Global. "This partnership, based on the Virtual IDM model, provides the silicon solution that AI companies around the world need. This is a groundbreaking initiative, where the public and private sectors are working together to achieve advanced semiconductor technologies."
"Quest Global has shown a strong affinity for our short turnaround-time manufacturing services, specifically with RUMS," added Dr. Atsuyoshi Koike, CEO, Rapidus. "In addition, receiving evaluation and feedback from Quest Global will provide a solid foundation for customer acquisitions and products. Furthermore, becoming one of Quest Global's foundry partners will provide us access to the company's customer network. For Rapidus, securing a track record of design is vital, so this partnership will be very beneficial for both companies."
