Semiconductors, bears and trains were just some of the major news topics in Hokkaido this past year, and are expected to continue to dominate local news coverage in 2025. Here’s a brief rundown of all three.
Rapidus moved forward this year with what will be the world’s first foundry producing 2-nanometer semiconductor chips. Pilot production is expected to start in April 2025, and the latter half of 2024 saw preparations accelerate.
In August, Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki visited IBM, which developed the technology, in New York along with a delegation of Hokkaido business officials and Rapidus executives. He also signed a memorandum of understanding with New York state to deepen links between Rapidus and NY Creates’ Albany NanoTech Complex, the largest nonprofit semiconductor research and development facility of its kind in the U.S.
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