Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it will provide a subsidy of about 45.2 billion yen (about 307 million US dollars) to develop optical technology (silicon photonic technology) for chips to promote the development of the Japanese semiconductor industry.
Zhitong Finance learned that Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it will provide a subsidy of about 45.2 billion yen (about 307 million US dollars) to develop optical technology (silicon photonic technology) for chips to promote the development of the Japanese semiconductor industry. According to reports, participating companies include Nippon Telecom (NTT), NEC (NEC), Furukawa Electric (Furukawa Electric), Shinko Electric (Shinko Electric), and Kioxia, as well as Intel (INTC.US) and SK Hynix.
Based on optical technology, the chip industry uses light to send signals, speed up transmission and reduce energy consumption. Japan's Minister of Industry Ken Saito said, “I hope [this technology] will change the rules of the game in the future.”
Countries around the world are scrambling to improve their chip manufacturing capabilities. Additionally, the Japanese government provided 330 billion yen in capital for Japan's high-end chip company Rapidus, which is headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo and is building a factory in Chitose, Hokkaido. It was reported on Monday that Intel is collaborating with Nippon Telecom on optical technology to help develop the next generation of semiconductors.
Additionally, the Biden administration is expected to provide multi-billion dollars in subsidies to Intel, TSM.US, and other semiconductor companies over the next few weeks to build new factories in the US. Meanwhile, Intel has signed chip-manufacturing facility agreements with Israel, Poland, and Germany.