Japan, Belgium to cooperate in chip production to revive industry

A newly founded Japanese semiconductor company aiming to revive Japan's chip industry will collaborate with a Belgian research organization in research and development of next-generation chips for production in Japan.

Economy and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters Tuesday that the new company, Rapidus, which was launched last month by eight corporate giants including automakers, electronics and chipmakers, will team up with the Imec, a Leuven, Belgium-based research organization known for the nanoelectronics and digital technologies key to developing next-generation chips.

Cooperation with Imec in the area of semiconductor production at its international research facility, which ranks as one of Europe's best, is extremely meaningful, Nishimura told reporters Tuesday ahead of a signing event expected later in the day.

Imec is known for its expertise and technology needed to make so-called post-5G chips that require miniaturization and extremely-thin production ...