Japan and the US have agreed to cooperate to develop and mass-produce 2nm semiconductor processes. Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda has arrived in the US for talks, the Nikkei said .
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The idea is to create a state-of-the-art semiconductor supply chain that is highly secure against leakage to China and leverage the respective technological advantages of the two countries.
Since the Nikkei is a Japanese publication, it details the role of its country. Japan is assumed to have extensive experience in semiconductor technology, silicon wafers, photosensitive elements, semiconductor surface preparation abrasives, and key manufacturing equipment. Organizations that may be involved in cooperation include Tokyo Electron, Canon and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. From the American side, most likely, there will be IBM and Intel.
Cooperation between the two countries is caused by fears of technology leakage to China. Thus, the Taiwanese government is fighting Chinese industrial espionage, and Japan and the United States may suffer from this. Taiwan’s proximity to China and the fact that part of the population identifies as Chinese or part Chinese does not contribute to security. There is also the issue of geopolitical stability, as the Chinese Communist Party regularly makes statements about the possible use of military force to take over Taiwan.
Another reason for this pact is TSMC’s refusal to build a cutting-edge foundry outside of Taiwan. TSMC’s plans to establish foundries in the US and Japan are expected to be limited to 10-20nm chip production, with 2nm products being made in Taiwan by 2026 .
Japan’s share in semiconductor manufacturing has steadily declined since 1990, when it supplied about half of all types of chips to the market. In 2022, its share was only 10%.
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