A significant milestone for Japan's semiconductor industry has been reached with the commencement of installation for the first "Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV)" machine designed for mass production.

According to a December 19 report by Nikkei Asia, Japanese semiconductor startup Rapidus successfully received its first ASML EUV lithography machine and began installing it at its chip factory in Hokkaido on December 14.

The lithography machine acquired by Rapidus is manufactured by Dutch supplier ASML, specifically the NXE:3800E model. Boasting a 37.5% increase in wafer throughput compared to its predecessor, this machine meets Rapidus' manufacturing demands for 2nm chips.

This EUV system is colossal, weighing a total of 71 tons and standing approximately 3.4 meters tall, akin to the size of a whale. Equipped with specialized light sources, lenses, and other advanced technologies, it is highly resistant to vibrations and other interferences.

The installation site is located at the Innovative Integrated Manufacturing Factory (iim-1) in Chitose, Hokkaido, Japan. The installation process is divided into four stages, with equipment installation expected to be completed by the end of this month.

Junichi Koike, CEO of Rapidus, affirmed that the company aims to supply the world's most advanced semiconductors from Hokkaido and Japan.

In addition to the EUV lithography machine, Rapidus will install advanced semiconductor manufacturing auxiliary equipment and a fully automated material handling system at its iim-1 factory to optimize the production of 2nm GAA semiconductor processes. The company also plans to continue developing new semiconductor foundry services, known as Rapid and Unified Manufacturing Services (RUMS).

Rapidus is collaborating with American tech giant IBM to develop multi-threshold voltage GAA (Gate-All-Around) transistor technology. They aim to develop prototype chips using the cutting-edge 2-nanometer process by spring 2025 and achieve mass production by 2027, competing with TSMC's timeline for 2nm chip mass production starting in 2025.

Currently, ASML is the sole global supplier of EUV lithography machines, with each unit costing over $180 million. Last year, only 42 units were delivered worldwide.

Japan once held over 50% of the global semiconductor market share in the 1980s but withdrew from the competition for advanced logic process chips by the 2000s. The local government now hopes to revitalize Japan's advanced chip production capabilities through the extensive application of EUV lithography tools.