[News] Rapidus Reportedly Months Behind on 2nm SRAM Development, March 2028 Mass Production Target at Risk

Japan’s government-backed chipmaker Rapidus is reportedly falling behind schedule in its push to mass-produce 2nm chips by March 2028. According to Bloomberg, citing sources, the company has yet to demonstrate functioning static random access memory (SRAM) cells, a critical milestone it was expected to achieve by the summer. The missed target has reportedly left Rapidus at least several months behind schedule, putting its mass production deadline at risk and increasing pressure on engineers to accelerate development.

SRAM remains a key challenge in advanced chipmaking. As previously noted by EE Times Japan, SRAM and high-current circuits are particularly prone to issues during the early stages of gate-all-around (GAA) process development. Bloomberg also reports that Rapidus is working to address dust and particle contamination issues in its cleanroom facilities.

A prolonged delay could jeopardize government support for Rapidus, which aims to establish a leading-edge foundry in Japan and reduce the country’s reliance on Taiwan’s TSMC. In response to the report, a Rapidus spokesperson said the company remains fully committed to beginning mass production in the second half of fiscal 2027, according to Bloomberg. However, Rapidus declined to disclose details of its technology development, citing confidentiality.

Rapidus Pursues Growth Despite Reported Technical Setbacks

The Japanese government has committed more than JPY 2 trillion in funding to Rapidus so far. According to Bloomberg, significant technical setbacks could also delay the company’s planned initial public offering by 2032.

Rapidus began pilot production at its Hokkaido facility and announced in July 2025 that it had successfully produced functioning transistors, marking an early milestone in its advanced chipmaking efforts. Since then, publicly disclosed technical progress has largely centered on process design kit (PDK) releases, Bloomberg notes.

Beyond technical hurdles, securing customers remains another major challenge for Rapidus. According to Reuters, the company has partnered with 17 firms, including Synopsys and Infosys, to help customers design chips as it seeks to secure manufacturing orders. Still, the report also points out that some potential customers remain cautious about shifting production from established foundries such as TSMC. One executive expressed concern that if a switch to Rapidus proved unsuccessful, returning to TSMC could be difficult.

Meanwhile, according to NHK, Rapidus CEO Atsuyoshi Koike said at a JETRO forum in Sapporo on November 4 that the company envisions building three additional fabs and an R&D facility near its existing plant in Hokkaido, aiming to develop a semiconductor industry cluster similar to Taiwan’s.

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(Photo credit: Rapidus)