TOKYO -- 日本合同制芯片制造商Rapidus将与17家从事先进半导体设计的公司合作，通过协助客户开发自有品牌芯片来拓宽潜在客户群，日经获悉。
TOKYO -- Japanese contract chipmaker Rapidus will partner with 17 companies involved in designing advanced semiconductors, using them to widen its potential customer base by helping clients develop their own branded chips, Nikkei has learned.
Rapidus认为，支持包括东芝集团在内的这些合作伙伴进行芯片设计，将带来更多订单。该公司旨在通过介入从设计到生产的全过程，强化其供应先进芯片的能力。
Rapidus thinks supporting those partners, including the Toshiba group, in chip design will lead to more orders. The company looks to strengthen its ability to supply advanced chips by becoming involved in everything from design to production.
Rapidus成立于2022年，作为外部客户的半导体合同制造商运营。日本经济产业省计划提供总额达3万亿日元（约合190亿美元）的支持，以实现尖端2纳米芯片在2027财年下半年（2027年10月至2028年3月）在国内量产。
Established in 2022, Rapidus operates as a contract manufacturer of semiconductors for external clients. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry intends to provide support for the company totaling 3 trillion yen ($19 billion) to enable domestic mass production of cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips by the second half of fiscal 2027.
Rapidus根据客户的设计数据制造芯片。半导体设计对智能手机、个人电脑和汽车等产品的性能有重大影响。先进半导体的设计日益复杂，Rapidus旨在通过支持客户的设计流程来获取客户。
Rapidus fabricates chips based on design data from customers. Semiconductor design has a major impact on the performance of products such as smartphones, personal computers and automobiles. The design of advanced semiconductors is increasingly complex, and Rapidus aims to acquire customers by supporting their design processes.
大多数日本企业缺乏先进半导体的熟练设计人员，限制了Rapidus的潜在客户数量。由Rapidus牵头的强化设计能力举措，被视为有助于国内企业通过将自有先进芯片应用于汽车、生产机械等设备来提升性能。
Most Japanese businesses lack skilled designers for advanced semiconductors, limiting the number of potential customers for Rapidus. The Rapidus-led initiative to bolster design capabilities is seen helping domestic businesses improve performance by incorporating their own advanced chips into automobiles, production machinery and other equipment.
这17家合作伙伴将为Rapidus的客户处理半导体设计。这将使专业知识有限的企业更容易开发自有品牌半导体。
The 17 partners will handle semiconductor design for Rapidus customers. This will make it easier for businesses with limited expertise to develop branded semiconductors.
合作伙伴包括东芝子公司东芝信息系统（日本）、大日本印刷和凸版印刷。从事半导体设计服务的NSW和MavissDesign也参与其中。
The partners include Toshiba subsidiary Toshiba Information Systems (Japan), Dai Nippon Printing and Toppan. NSW and MavissDesign, which handle semiconductor design services, also are participating.
美国的新思科技和凯登斯设计系统等海外企业也将加入。此外，还包括印度的印孚瑟斯——该国正推行国产半导体政策——以及一家马来西亚公司。
Overseas players such as Synopsys and Cadence Design Systems of the U.S. will join as well. Also included are Infosys of India, which is pursuing a policy of domestic semiconductor production, and a Malaysian company.
半导体设计分为多个阶段，包括决定功能的逻辑设计、绘制实际电路图的物理设计，以及涉及半导体芯片形状的结构设计。每家设计支持公司在特定环节各有所长，因此这17家公司的合作有望帮助Rapidus满足广大客户的多样化需求。
Semiconductor design is divided into several stages, including logic design, which determines the function; physical design, in which the actual circuit diagram is drawn; and structural design, which is about the shape of the semiconductor chip. Each design support company is strong in a particular step, so collaboration among the 17 companies is expected to help Rapidus meet the diverse needs of a wide range of customers.
Rapidus的竞争对手，如台积电和三星电子，也拥有类似的设计支持合作伙伴关系。台积电有超过20家设计支持公司参与其联盟。
Competitors of Rapidus, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung Electronics, have similar design support partnerships. TSMC has over 20 design support companies participating in its consortium.