Japan needs a niche approach to get back in the chip game, NTT chairman says

TOKYO: Japan needs to take a niche approach to chip manufacturing – rather than trying to compete on scale and price – as it aims to revive its once-mighty chip industry, the chairman of telecom heavyweight NTT told Reuters in an interview.

NTT is one of a number of major Japanese corporations invested in Rapidus, the government-backed chipmaker that plans to start mass production of advanced semiconductors in 2027. Set up in 2022, Rapidus is central to the government’s $65 billion plan to boost the chip and artificial intelligence industries that was unveiled last year.