AIST to Build Semiconductor R&D Base in Hokkaido

Tokyo, Dec. 12 (Jiji Press)--Japan’s industry ministry said Friday that its affiliated National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, or AIST, will establish a research and development base for advanced semiconductors in Chitose, Hokkaido, northernmost Japan.

The facility will be available for use by companies and research institutions, including Japanese chipmaker Rapidus Corp. It will aim to strengthen Japan’s international competitiveness in the sector and develop talent.

Rapidus, which aims to mass-produce cutting-edge chips with a circuit line width of 2 nanometers, is building a research and production hub in Chitose.

The AIST facility, set to go into operation in fiscal 2029, will introduce extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment, crucial for making chips’ circuit line widths narrower.

Users of the AIST facility are also expected to include Japanese chip materials and chipmaking device makers, which lead the global market.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]