July 3, 2023 /SemiMedia/ -- According to Bloomberg News, IBM recently stated that the emerging wafer foundry business is critical to ensuring long-term global supply. Therefore, the company is strongly supporting Rapidus, a Japanese chip manufacturing start-up.

The report pointed out that Rapidus is converting IBM's 2nm chip design into a manufacturable chip and plans to achieve mass production in 2027.

"In terms of 2nm technology, we will focus on Rapidus and devote a lot of resources to this project, even sacrificing some resources that could have been used for other research. We wish Rapidus success and contribute to the stable supply of chips," said Norishige Morimoto, chief technology officer at IBM Japan.

Rapidus has already attracted investments from companies including Toyota Motor Corporation, Sony Corp. and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation. Rapidus is working with IBM and Belgium-based microelectronics research center IMEC.

"IBM is willing to help Rapidus strike further deals with major chip companies. We will not rule out any options as long as they fit our business needs. Based on past experience, delivering the latest generation of chips is not something that one company can handle alone. We believe that both TSMC and Samsung welcome Rapidus to join the camp of cutting-edge chip manufacturers. Judging from the current situation, there is no problem for Rapidus to accept orders from customers," Norishige Morimoto further pointed out.