Japan’s government-backed Rapidus is lobbying chipmakers, their suppliers and research institutions to set up shop in Hokkaido in a bid to make the remote region a center of semiconductor innovation within a decade.
The 13-month-old startup’s goal of making cutting-edge chips from scratch is part of a broader design to build a Silicon Valley-like ecosystem. Rapidus envisions a chipmaking cluster spanning coast to coast, with easy access to multiple ports, according to Chief Executive Officer Atsuyoshi Koike.
"My big ambition is to realize a ‘Hokkaido Valley’ that spreads from Tomakomai to Ishikari that can compete against Silicon Valley in size,” said Koike, 71, a former Western Digital executive. "We have a chance to become a North Star” that sets the trend in the global chip industry, he said.