Rapidus has introduced the Rapidus Collaborative Open Rapid Ecosystem (CORE), a new international collaboration framework through which the Japanese company wants to bring together design, electronic design automation, intellectual property, and manufacturing companies around its future 2-nanometer process technology. As a first initiative, the company has created Design Solution Associates, a group initially made up of 17 companies that will help customers prepare their designs before moving them into production at Rapidus.
Rapidus CORE and its 2nm node in 20 seconds
- Rapidus creates CORE to integrate design, manufacturing, EDA, and intellectual property.
- The first initiative brings together 17 design and technology services companies.
- The goal is to let customers start developing 2nm chips earlier.
- Cadence and Synopsys are part of the group alongside Asian and global companies.
- Rapidus plans to expand CORE with new partners specialized in EDA, IP, and other areas.
The initiative starts from a reality well known in the semiconductor industry: manufacturing an advanced chip takes far more than having a fab capable of processing wafers. Before reaching production, a circuit has to be designed, verified, built using electronic design automation (EDA) tools, incorporate intellectual property (IP) blocks, prepare manufacturing processes, and fit the whole project to the specific rules of the fab.
Rapidus wants to cover exactly that journey around its future advanced manufacturing platform. The Japanese company unveiled CORE on October 5, 2026, as a global framework meant to support the development and volume production of advanced semiconductors.
The first piece is Design Solution Associates, a network of companies that will act as a link between customers and Rapidus. The idea is for customers to be able to access design resources and specialized expertise from the earliest stages of a project, letting them prepare their chips for the company’s manufacturing process.
17 companies join Rapidus from the design stage
The first edition of Design Solution Associates brings together 17 companies, mixing tool vendors, design firms, and engineering service providers.
The list announced by Rapidus includes AION Silicon, Cadence Design Systems, Dai Nippon Printing, GreatAsic Technology, HCL Technologies, Infinecs Systems, Infosys, MavissDesign, MosChip Technologies, NSW, Oppstar Technology, Quest Global Services, SkyeChip, Synopsys, TOPPAN, Toshiba Information Systems (Japan), and Wipro.
The makeup of the group is significant because it isn’t limited to Japanese companies. It includes companies from India, Malaysia, and other markets, alongside two of the best-known names in the EDA market, Cadence and Synopsys.
Rapidus wants to use this network as a bridge between customers and its manufacturing technology. Rather than waiting for a design to be fully developed before starting a relationship with the fab, the approach is to bring in specialized partners during the early stages.
That can matter a great deal at a 2nm node. Every generation of advanced manufacturing introduces more complex design rules and forces circuits to be adapted to the specific traits of the process.
A design team that knows those rules from the start can work with a methodology that’s closer to the real manufacturing conditions.
Rapidus’s challenge goes beyond manufacturing at 2nm
Rapidus is trying to build its own position within the global advanced semiconductor manufacturing market.
The company is developing its 2nm process and building production capacity in Japan. Its strategy also aims to cut the time needed to go from design to manufacturing, in addition to working on 3D packaging processes.
Having a competitive manufacturing technology is only part of the problem when it comes to winning customers in this segment. Customers need tools, libraries, IP, design services, verification, and technical support that let them carry their projects all the way to production.
That’s exactly the gap CORE aims to fill.
Rapidus describes the new framework as an open, collaborative ecosystem that integrates different parts of the value chain. In its first phase it has focused on design, but the company has already announced it will expand the program into other categories.
The next expansion will include EDA and IP providers, along with other companies tied to semiconductor development.
The reference to EDA is especially relevant. These tools are used to design and verify circuits before manufacturing wafers. Cadence and Synopsys, two of the world’s largest providers of this kind of software, are already among the 17 founding members.
Japan tries to regain ground in advanced chips
The project should also be understood within Japan’s broader strategy to rebuild domestic capacity in advanced semiconductors.
Japan still has a significant industry in materials, equipment, and components for chips, but over the past few decades it lost much of its leading-edge logic manufacturing to companies such as TSMC, Samsung, and other major Asian players.
Rapidus was created specifically to try to recover that capacity and develop advanced processes within Japan.
The company has financial backing from the Japanese government and works with major domestic companies, including Toyota, Sony, NTT, SoftBank, Kioxia, Denso, NEC, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi UFJ Bank, and IHI, all of which took part in creating and funding Rapidus.
But building a fab doesn’t by itself guarantee that customers will show up. A foundry needs an ecosystem broad enough for companies to design products and carry them through to manufacturing without having to build every surrounding capability from scratch.
CORE is an attempt to solve part of that problem.
Talent scarcity also enters the equation
Rapidus points to another obstacle: the shortage of professionals specialized in advanced semiconductor design and manufacturing.
The global industry needs engineers experienced in circuit design, verification, EDA, packaging, manufacturing processes, and design optimization for advanced nodes. Competition for that talent is growing as the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and China all expand their semiconductor investments.
For Rapidus, using a network of specialized companies lets it expand the resources available to its customers without relying solely on hiring every needed skill set in-house.
The 17 companies can bring different capabilities. Some have experience in ASIC design, others in engineering services, and others in specific tools or technologies. Rapidus’s announcement doesn’t detail which company will handle which stage or which specific services will be available to each customer.
That detail will matter once CORE moves from presenting the framework to actual projects.
The stated goal is for a customer to be able to start developing a chip before manufacturing is ready, working from the outset with companies already familiar with Rapidus’s process.
The company also intends to extend the model beyond Japan. The international makeup of the initial group points in that direction, with participants from India, Malaysia, and other markets alongside Japanese companies.
For a foundry trying to attract international customers, having a geographically distributed design network can matter as much as physical production capacity.
Rapidus wants to compete with an ecosystem, not just a fab
The launch of CORE shows how Rapidus is trying to solve one of the hardest problems any new advanced foundry faces: getting a community of customers and suppliers to exist around its process before it reaches mass production.
The project still has to prove in practice that this strategy works. Creating Design Solution Associates doesn’t mean the 17 participants have announced manufacturing contracts with Rapidus, nor that every member will work with every future customer.
What does change is the model for accessing the process. Rapidus is trying to offer a structured path so companies can start development with specialist support before their designs reach the fab.
The next phase will be expanding CORE with EDA, IP, and other providers. If the network grows, Rapidus could end up with a more complete chain around its 2nm node.
For potential customers, the question will be whether that network can really cut the time and complexity needed to take a design from its first stage to a finished wafer.
The race for 2nm won’t be decided only in the fab. It’s also being fought in design tools, IP libraries, available talent, and the ability to turn a manufacturing process into a platform other companies can actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Rapidus CORE?
Rapidus CORE is a collaboration framework created by Rapidus to bring together companies and organizations involved in developing and manufacturing advanced semiconductors. Its first initiative is Design Solution Associates.
How many companies initially make up Design Solution Associates?
The initial group is made up of 17 companies, including Cadence Design Systems, Synopsys, Toshiba Information Systems, Wipro, Infosys, HCL Technologies, and several companies specialized in chip design.
How does CORE relate to Rapidus’s 2nm process?
CORE aims to help customers start chip design from the earliest stages and prepare those projects for later manufacturing using Rapidus’s 2nm process technology.
What will Rapidus add after Design Solution Associates?
The company has announced it will expand CORE to include companies and specialized partners in EDA tools, intellectual property, and other categories related to semiconductor development and manufacturing.
