Japan's Rohm, Toshiba, and Mitsubishi Electric have announced merger talks for their power semiconductor businesses. If realized, the combined entity would hold ~10% global market share, ranking second only to Germany's Infineon. We analyze the Denso $8.3B counter-bid, EV and renewable energy demand, and what this means for global chip competition.
Shinko Electric Industries is entering the photonic-electronic convergence manufacturing market as an OSAT, targeting CPO projects that TSMC won't take. With expertise in advanced packaging and optical alignment, this Japanese company aims to become the go-to manufacturer for Co-Packaged Optics — the technology set to slash AI data center power consumption by half. We break down the CPO race, NTT's IOWN initiative, and why NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD are all betting on light.
Japan is seeing new momentum in chip design. Fabless startups like TRIPLE-1 and Socionext challenge Chinese giant Bitmain's dominance in mining ASICs. We explore Japan's emerging role in chip design, Rapidus's 2nm mass production plans, TSMC partnerships, and positioning amid the US-China semiconductor rivalry.
Kioxia has developed foundational 3D DRAM technology using IGZO oxide semiconductors, signaling the NAND-only maker's bold entry into the DRAM market. Behind this challenge: exploding AI demand and the physical limits of current memory. We break down the competition with Samsung, SK hynix, and China's CXMT.
Rapidus's AI design agent 'Raads' is already in use by 3 companies — 2 domestic, 1 overseas. This LLM-based EDA suite enables natural language chip design, cutting design time by 50% and costs by 30%. We compare it with TSMC and Intel's AI tools and examine Rapidus's path to 2nm mass production.
Power Diamond Systems demonstrated the world's first actual power conversion using a diamond MOSFET in a DC-DC converter circuit. Following their recent 200V/1A switching milestone, this breakthrough advances diamond semiconductors from device-level testing to real circuit operation.
Seiko Epson and Taiwan's Manz Asia have formed a strategic partnership to develop inkjet-based semiconductor manufacturing. Their 'additive' approach prints functional materials directly onto substrates without photomasks, cutting costs and environmental impact versus traditional photolithography. We explore their Lab-to-Fab equipment roadmap and Japan's edge in printed electronics.
Japan's Power Diamond Systems, a Waseda University spinoff, achieved the world's first 200V/1A switching operation with a diamond MOSFET. With 550V breakdown voltage and 0.8A drain current in a single device, diamond semiconductors could surpass SiC and GaN as the ultimate power semiconductor for EVs and renewable energy.
Oxide Corporation, an optical crystal maker in Hokuto, Yamanashi, began selling Frequad-K, a 302nm UV laser source for quantum computers, on March 9, 2026. The wavelength is what excites ytterbium atoms into the Rydberg states neutral-atom machines need, and the first unit went to a domestic customer. We look at why 95% world share in semiconductor wafer inspection crystals transfers to quantum, and at the 436nm quantum communications laser Oxide shipped to LQUOM in July.
Japan's government has set an ambitious target of ¥40 trillion ($260B) in domestic semiconductor sales by 2040, announcing plans for cutting-edge AI research hubs. From Rapidus's 2nm chips in Hokkaido to TSMC's $17B 3nm fab in Kumamoto and JDI's $13B US display plant, we break down Japan's full semiconductor strategy—and compare it with the US CHIPS Act, EU Chips Act, and South Korea's and Taiwan's chip policies.
Kioxia's Q4 net profit surged 17x year-over-year as NAND flash prices skyrocket. AI-driven demand for HBM is squeezing memory supply for smartphones, PCs, and automobiles — creating a global shortage that may last until 2028. We analyze the competitive landscape with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, and Kioxia's post-IPO growth strategy including its NVIDIA partnership for next-gen AI SSDs.