By YUKI MINAMI/ Staff Writer
July 25, 2024 at 18:32 JST
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, third from left, takes photos with Tetsuro Higashi, second from left, chairman of Rapidus Corp., after seeing the planned site for the company’s new factory. The photo was taken in Chitose, Hokkaido on July 24. (Pool)
CHITOSE, Hokkaido--Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is doubling down on his support for the domestic production of next-generation chips, pledging government funding.
“We need to continue expanding investments in semiconductor and AI technology,” Kishida said after visiting the Rapidus Corp. semiconductor factory here on July 24.
He explained that the government will push forward legislation to encourage the mass production of cutting-edge chips by boosting funding.
“I will submit the necessary bills for mass production as soon as possible,” Kishida said.
Rapidus is scheduled to complete prototypes of state-of-the-art semiconductors with a line width of 2 nanometers in 2025, and to start mass-producing them as soon as 2027.
The government has already decided to provide up to 920 billion yen ($6.04 billion) toward the project.
The government’s Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, which was approved by the Cabinet in June, also included legislative measures to support the company.
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