IIM-1 Pilot Fab by Rapidus: status and timeline

IIM-1 Pilot Fab

IIM-1 is Rapidus's pilot fab in Chitose, Hokkaido, with a 2nm production line based on IBM technology. The fab tests processes and ramps early volumes before construction of full mass-production fabs.

PilotStage 3 of 5

2nm pilot line operational, ramping to pilot volumes. Mass-production fab planned for 2027 startup.

Updated Feb 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Mass-production fab construction

Rapidus founded2022Complete.
IIM-1 fab construction begins2023Complete.
IIM-1 2nm pilot line operationalApr 2025Complete.
¥267.6B government funding round27 Feb 2026Complete.
Mass-production fab constructionTarget 2027Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Rapidus raises ¥267.6 billion (~$1.8B) in government funding for mass-production fabFeb 2026

Upcoming

2027Mass-production fab construction (next)

Current obstacles

Yield ramp2nm manufacturing defect rates must drop to match commercial expectations.
Customer bookingsRapidus needs customers to commit to the mass-production fab before it is built.

Physics limits

Process node floorBelow 2nm, quantum effects and power density make further shrinking harder.

How it works

2 parts

IBM technology

Licensed process node

Rapidus adapts IBM's 2nm GAA (gate-all-around) process design, accelerating development versus building from scratch.

Pilot to mass

Scaling pathway

IIM-1 proves the process and ramps pilots; success triggers government-funded mass-production fabs in 2027+.

Spec sheet

Spec	IIM-1 Pilot Fab
Process node	2nm^R (reported)
Location	Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan^R (reported)
Technology partner	IBM^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Peer comparison

Chip factories (foundries) peers

Spec	IIM-1 Pilot Fab	Samsung Taylor Fab (SF2)
Process node	2nm^R (reported)	2nm GAA^R (reported)
Location	Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan^R (reported)	Taylor, Texas, USA^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

1 update

Feb 2026

Major: Rapidus raises ¥267.6 billion (~$1.8B) in government funding for mass-production fabPressFunding

About Rapidus

The team behind IIM-1 Pilot Fab

Rapidus

Japan 2nm foundry, semiconductor, IBM partnership

Rapidus is Japan's state-backed semiconductor foundry, building advanced logic fabs with IBM technology. The company aims to restore Japan's position in cutting-edge chip manufacturing.

Rapidus is backed by METI, Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and partners with IBM on advanced process technology.
Its IIM-1 pilot fab in Chitose, Hokkaido operates a 2nm production line and is ramping to pilot volumes.
Rapidus raised ¥267.6 billion (~$1.8B) in February 2026 to fund mass-production fab construction.

rapidus.jp (opens rapidus.jp)Company profile →

Founded: 20224 yrs
Headquarters: Japan
Status: Private
Valuation: $3BprivateFeb 2026
Last round: Government funding · $1.8BFeb 2026
Works in: ComputingChip factories (foundries)
Coverage: 1 program · 2 updateslatest 1 Feb 2026checked 10 Oct
Lead investors: METI
Partners: IBM (opens ibm.com)
Investors: METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) (opens meti.go.jp)
People: Atsuyoshi Koike (opens rapidus.jp)CEO

Spec

IIM-1 Pilot Fab

Process node

2nm^R (reported)

Location

Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan^R (reported)

Technology partner

IBM^R (reported)

Spec

IIM-1 Pilot Fab

Samsung Taylor Fab (SF2)

Process node

2nm^R (reported)

2nm GAA^R (reported)

Location

Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan^R (reported)

Taylor, Texas, USA^R (reported)