Japanese semiconductor company Rapidus is taking on industry giants with its 2-nanometer (nm) manufacturing process. According to published data, the company’s 2nm process, dubbed “2HP,” offers a logic density on par with TSMC’s N2 process and surpasses Intel’s 18A technology.

Rapidus is working on a 2nm manufacturing process

Rapidus’s 2HP process boasts a logic density of 237.31 MTr/mm². This is similar to the 236.17 MTr/mm² of TSMC’s N2 process and higher than the 184.21 MTr/mm² of Intel’s 18A technology. Intel adopts a different design approach that prioritizes performance and wattage efficiency over density. Rapidus, on the other hand, favors high-density cell libraries.

Rapidus’s “single wafer preprocessing” method offers the advantage of enabling rapid improvements in low-volume production. These developments indicate that the company could become a significant player not only in Japan but also in the global semiconductor market. Nvidia is also reportedly interested in Rapidus.

However, the biggest obstacle facing Rapidus is its production schedule compared to its competitors. TSMC, Intel, and Samsung plan to transition to 2nm or equivalent processes and begin mass production by the end of next year or in 2026. Rapidus, on the other hand, is targeting mass production in 2027. In this case, Rapidus could be several generations behind its competitors by 2027.

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