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 ¥150 billion ($936 million) 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 ¥100 billion from IPA and ¥167.6 billion 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 ¥150 billion ($941 million), 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
