Japan's Rapidus Semiconductor Foundry Launches U.S. Subsidiary in Silicon Valley

Rapidus Expands Footprint in the U.S. Semiconductor Market

Rapidus, a leading contract chip manufacturer based in Japan, has established a U.S. subsidiary and opened an office in Silicon Valley.

Henri Richard, a former senior executive at AMD, will take on the role of general manager and president of Rapidus Design Solutions in Santa Clara, California. Richard will spearhead business development efforts for Rapidus in the U.S. market.

Rapidus is committed to the research, development, design, manufacture, and sales of advanced logic semiconductor chips. The new Rapidus Design Solutions (RDS) office will cater to fabless semiconductor companies and technology partners across the Americas seeking to accelerate their market entry with cutting-edge semiconductors.

Having recently emerged from retirement, Richard brings extensive expertise in sales, marketing, and customer support from his decades in the industry, having held leadership positions at top companies such as AMD, Freescale, IBM, NetApp, and SanDisk. He has already assembled a core leadership team to drive sales and marketing for Rapidus in the Americas.

“When Rapidus reached out, I was drawn to the opportunity to collaborate with an exceptionally talented team that is innovating semiconductor design and production,” Richard stated. “With AI reshaping industries, the demand for advanced semiconductors is surging, and I am thrilled to contribute to this transformative journey.”

Global Momentum for Rapidus

These steps in the U.S. follow a surge of global activity for Rapidus since its founding two years ago. Recently, the company announced approval for two significant projects from the Japanese government: an expansion of its two-nanometer foundry focused on front-end wafer development and a new project targeting back-end packaging processes, particularly for chiplet design and manufacturing technology.

By offering robust support across both front-end and back-end processes, Rapidus aims to deliver the quickest time-to-market for its fabless semiconductor customers, positioning itself against major competitors like Intel, Globalfoundries, TSMC, and Samsung.

Launched in 2022 with investment from the Japanese government and prominent firms such as Sony and Toyota, Rapidus has partnered with IBM for the joint development of 2nm node technology. Its Innovative Integration for Manufacturing (IIM) facility is currently under construction in Hokkaido, Japan, with production set to commence in the coming years.

Atsuyoshi Koike, CEO of Rapidus, remarked, “We are at a crucial juncture for semiconductor manufacturing, where collaboration among countries, governments, and foundries is essential. Developing advanced node technology is vital for reducing power consumption and addressing climate change challenges. With our new Silicon Valley office and Henri's vast semiconductor expertise, we are poised to provide our customers with unmatched support from both Japan and the U.S.”

The Santa Clara office extends Rapidus' existing U.S. operations. More than 100 Rapidus scientists and engineers are collaborating with IBM researchers at the Albany NanoTech Complex, one of the world's leading semiconductor research facilities.

Together, they are developing processes to accelerate the research, development, design, and manufacture of semiconductors for next-generation technologies, including AI, 5G, quantum computing, self-driving vehicles, and smart cities.

Mukesh Khare, General Manager of IBM Semiconductors, commented, “I am proud of what IBM and Rapidus have achieved together since partnering in 2022. Our collaboration at the Albany NanoTech Complex is making significant progress in our joint 2nm development project.”

A pilot manufacturing line is expected to begin operations in 2025.