Japan is in the midst of a semiconductor renaissance.

Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) ¡ª a joint venture between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), Sony, Denso and Toyota ¡ª kicked off production at its first fab plant at the end of last year and has already announced plans to build a second factory. Both facilities are located in Kumamoto, fast emerging as Japan¡¯s semiconductor hub.

In a significant leap forward, Rapidus ¡ª a foundry aiming to produce 2-nanometer semiconductors ¡ª was launched in collaboration with the American IBM and Belgium¡¯s Interuniversity Microelectronics Center (Imec), with a new facility under construction in Hokkaido.