Tetsuro Higashi is taking on what seems like an impossible task: Creating a globally competitive semiconductor manufacturer in Japan from scratch — and doing it in four years.
The 73-year-old isn’t deterred by the challenge. He says the newly created Rapidus can get up to speed quickly against the likes of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and Samsung Electronics, with support from the government and domestic equipment manufacturers.
Rapidus is trying to do what experts argued the country should have done decades ago as it began to lose its edge in the semiconductor industry. The state-backed firm, established in August, is spending billions of dollars on creating a cutting-edge chip foundry by 2027 — a domestic asset that would fortify and bolster Japan's economy.
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