Asia Tech Wire (May 16) -- Japanese semiconductor company Rapidus has partnered with a U.S. firm to develop semiconductors for data centers.

Rapidus announced Wednesday that it has signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with U.S. RISC-V startup Esperanto Technologies Inc.

Under the MOC, the two companies will collaborate toward the development of artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors for data centers, working to develop semiconductors that will help save power.

Founded in 2022, Rapidus has investments from the Japanese government and leading Japanese companies such as Sony and Toyota, and has formed a strategic partnership with IBM to develop 2-nanometer chip technology.

Its manufacturing facility, called IIM (Innovative Integration for Manufacturing), is currently under construction in Hokkaido, Japan, and is due to go into production in the next few years.

Rapidus plans to begin operations of a pilot production line at the facility in April 2025, and begin mass production of 2nm logic semiconductors in 2027.