Rapidus lands $936M state grant, among the largest in Japanese deep tech
What's the deal? Japanese chipmaker RapidusDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has secured a US$1.15B grant from Japan's Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA). The state-backed startup, founded in 2022, is racing to begin mass production of advanced 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
Why it matters: The grant ranks among the largest ever recorded for a deep tech company in Japan, sitting in the top 1% of such rounds tracked all-time. It underscores Tokyo's determination to build domestic chipmaking capacity.
What's the endgame? Rapidus aims to compete with TSMC, Samsung ElectronicsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and IntelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → at the leading edge of semiconductor manufacturing. Japan views home-grown production as critical to national security and technological independence, given the role chips play in artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing.
The money trail: This is the latest in a run of large infusions. Earlier this year, Rapidus took US$769.2M from IPA and US$1.29B in private investment from 32 companies, including CanonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, FujitsuDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Development Bank of JapanDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, SoftBankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, NTTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Sony GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → also plans to request an additional US$1.15B, which it intends to include in the fiscal year 2027 budget, according to Bloomberg. That funding aims to cut Japan's reliance on overseas suppliers such as TSMC.
Beyond Japan: Rapidus is building international ties too. In June 2026, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK Semiconductor Centre to collaborate on future manufacturing projects, following technology talks between Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and then-UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The signal: Governments are pouring public money into advanced chipmaking as a strategic imperative. Rapidus has become the vehicle for Japan's bid to reclaim a place at the frontier of semiconductor production — and the scale of state backing shows how far Tokyo is willing to go.
Read more: en.wedoany.com
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
