Rapidus Corporation announced on Thursday that it had formed a new U.S. subsidiary, dubbed Rapidus Design Solutions (RDS), and opened an office in Santa Clara, California to better serve partners and potential future customers in the Americas. RDS will be led by Henri Richard, who will serve as general manager and president.

Rapidus Corporation has been making a lot of news as of late. For those unfamiliar with Rapidus, it is a fledgling Japanese semiconductor company developing bleeding-edge semiconductor manufacturing and adjacent technologies.

Rapidus Corporation Is Building A Bleeding Edge Fab In Japan

In late 2022, Rapidus announced that it would collaborate with IBM to leverage IBM’s semiconductor R&D resources and upcoming 2nm process node technology, which is currently in development. More recently, Japan’s Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center, or LSTC, in conjunction with Tenstorrent and Rapidus Corporation, revealed a multi-tiered partnership to license Tenstorrent’s RISC-V and chiplet IP for the LTSC’s planned 2nm-generation AI Accelerator. And last week, Rapidus announced that Japan’s largest public management organization, the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, or NEDO, granted it an additional ¥590 billion yen ($3.89 billion) for the support of new and existing projects. NEDO also approved Rapidus Corporation’s FY2024 plan and budget for R&D of 2nm-generation semiconductor integration technology and short turn-around time manufacturing technology based on Japan-US collaboration.

A Former AMD And IBM Exec Will Lead Rapidus Design Solutions

Henri Richard has had a long, storied career in the semiconductor industry, with executive roles at IBM, AMD, and SanDisk to name but a few. I personally interacted with Henri many times during his tenure at AMD during the Athlon XP’s heyday in the early to mid-2000s. Though he was effectively retired, in a recent conversation Mr. Richard told me he jumped at the chance to join Rapidus. “I couldn’t resist the opportunity to work with an extremely talented and passionate team that is changing the way semiconductors are designed and produced, providing an alternative to current manufacturers and shaking up traditional manufacturing approaches,” said Richard. “With AI transforming every industry, the demand for advanced semiconductors is on the rise. I am extremely excited to be part of this company.”

Mr. Richard’s comments mirror what I’ve heard from numerous connections in the industry, from EDA tools providers, to foundry executives, chip builders, and leaders at fabless semiconductor companies. We’re currently in an era where – thanks in part to AI — relatively small startups can now compete with major players in the space with bespoke silicon. As my partner Dave has mentioned in many articles, AI is now helping design and produce chips for AI acceleration, and demand for them shows no signs of slowing anytime soon.

The pandemic and subsequent supply chain shortages have awakened the semiconductor industry to the need for a more robust, diverse array of suppliers and manufacturers. Although Rapidus already has more than 100 scientists and engineers working alongside IBM researchers at the Albany Nanotech Complex in New York, the company hopes its expansion in the U.S. will further advance its plans to engage with and aid more fabless semiconductor companies in the Americas.

Considering its current engagements and collaboration with IBM, and its backing by not only the Japanese government, but major corporations like Sony and Toyota, I suspect Rapidus will have a marked impact on the leading-edge semiconductor industry in the coming years. The company has strong, proven leadership in place, its facility is currently under construction in Japan, and it is actively courting additional partners in the U.S. and abroad.