Sapporo –
As decommissioning work at the meltdown-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan reaches a crucial stage toward removing melted nuclear debris, the spotlight has fallen on diamond semiconductors that can withstand intense nuclear radiation.
Ookuma Diamond Device, a startup based in Sapporo, has chosen the decommissioning work as an opportunity for realizing what is believed to be the world's first practical application of diamond chips.
The company aims to put such chips into practical use by fiscal 2026 after beginning construction of a production facility in the town of Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, which hosts the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) plant, this month.