Japan's state-backed chip venture Rapidus Corp and engineering services provider Quest Global Services Pte Ltd headquartered in Singapore have agreed to team up to develop low-power artificial intelligence semiconductors, the two companies said.
Under their partnership, Quest Global will help Rapidus and its customers to design state-of-the-art 2-nanometer semiconductors for AI use.
The tie-up will provide Rapidus "access to Quest Global's extensive global client chip base" and allow the two companies to deliver new chips to "existing and new clients," the Singaporean company said in a statement.
Rapidus plans to begin mass-producing next-generation chips in 2027 at a plant being built in Japan's northernmost main island of Hokkaido, with pilot production starting in April.
The chip venture was established in 2022 with investment from eight major Japanese companies, including Toyota Motor Corp and Sony Group Corp, to revitalize the country's once-powerful semiconductor industry and bolster its supply chain in the face of geopolitical risks.
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