By Mari Kiyohara
Publication Date: 2026-04-11 07:49:00
Japan approved 631.5 billion yen ($4 billion) in additional subsidies to speed Rapidus’ entry into the high-profile AI chipmaking arena, boosting support for a project widely seen as promising.
The capital is intended to fund Rapidus’ work for IT company Fujitsu, one of the first customers that Tokyo hopes will get the signing project off the ground.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the new funds increase the fees and investments the government injects into the startup to 2.6 trillion yen ($16.3 billion) by the end of the current fiscal year ending March 2027. An external committee inspected Rapidus’ foundry in Hokkaido and approved technological advances, the ministry said on Saturday.