The development appears amid the escalating US-China geopolitical scuffles, with the former preventing the export of EUV equipment to the latter.
Island country Japan, well-known for offering world-class consumer electronics brands, is taking significant steps to bolster its semiconductor industry, the ‘brains’ of modern electronics. In partnership with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), USA’s chip giant Intel has announced plans to commence a state-of-the-art chip equipment and material research and development facility in the country. The report on NIkkei also added that the project is expected to be completed in 3-5 years and will play a pivotal role in growing Japan’s chip industry.
The project’s uniqueness is the unleashing of extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment (EUV), which will be the first time Japan has introduced such technology. Insiders of the project said that the investment will be massive, several hundred billion yen. EUV, which is crucial in the manufacturing process of semiconductors, is now produced by only Dutch-based ASML Holdings.
Speaking of Japan’s overall semiconductor growth, the country invested 3.9 trillion yen ($24.8 billion) in its semiconductor industry between 2021 and 23, which was reported to be more GDP than the US, Germany, France, or the UK invested. Japan has also partnered with IBM and TSMC to unveil top-notch technologies. The ultimate ambition is to triple the sales of the domestic semiconductor industry from about five trillion Japanese yen in 2020 to 15 trillion yen by 2030, according to Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).
Japan’s well-known Rapidus is also set to introduce EUV technology by the end of this year. AIST will spearhead the entire R&D operation, with Intel providing critical chip manufacturing expertise utilizing the EUV lithography equipment. Nikkei also reported that the upcoming hub would help Japan explore innovative technologies and exchange talents with US research institutions.
