Sept. 01, 2025 –
According to Korean analyst Kurnal on X, Rapidus, the Japanese foundry pushing into leading-edge chips, will deliver its upcoming 2 nm process, called 2HP, with a transistor density that rivals the best in the business, even TSMC. The reporting allegedly shows a logic density of 237.31 million transistors per square millimeter for 2HP, essentially matching TSMC's N2, which has 236.17 MTr/mm², and comfortably ahead of Intel's 18A at about 184.21 MTr/mm². Rapidus has focused on high-density standard cells and a single-wafer front-end method that allows engineers to tune runs before scaling. It states that a 2 nm gate-all-around test chip built with ASML EUV tools met its electrical targets. The firm plans to publish process design kits in early 2026 and aims to start high-volume production at its IIM-1 facility in 2027, with monthly output expected to reach roughly 25,000 wafers.
What Rapidus is selling beyond raw density is speed and flexibility. While being a node or two behind TSMC in 2027, the company promises significantly shorter cycle times than traditional batch processes, reducing the typical turnaround from around 120 days to approximately 50 days, and offering extreme "hot lot" pushes down to 15 days for urgent orders. To deliver this, Rapidus is building a custom backend ecosystem with OSATs, EDA vendors, IP providers, and materials partners, and it benefits from government support and interest from major compute players. However, density is only one metric of the new node. Energy efficiency, performance per watt, mature supply chains, and, crucially, repeatable yields will determine whether Rapidus can turn validated test silicon into a reliable, high-volume competitor.