On May 22, Atsuyoshi Koike, president of Rapidus Corporation (headquartered in Tokyo), announced the company’s Hokkaido Valley project. It will center on a new next-generation semiconductor plant to be built in Chitose City, while Tomakomai, Chitose, Sapporo, and Ishikari cities will form a broad base for DX and GX. The company envisions to create a hub for the development of Japan’s next-generation products here. It intends to establish a Hokkaido semiconductor center that will include residential, educational, commercial and medical functions, and to promote sustainable town development through the cultivation of human resources in the advanced semiconductor field through industry-academia-government collaboration in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.

Rapidus Corporation (headquartered in Tokyo) is proceeding in all earnest with its plans to establish a new next-generation semiconductor plant in Chitose City. On April 25, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry approved the company’s FY 2023 project plan to construct a new plant, and decided to provide a subsidy of up to 260 billion yen. The necessary preparations, including administrative procedures and geological surveys, have since been initiated. Kajima Corporation is responsible for the design as well as construction, which is slated to begin in September this year and be completed in January 2025. Everything is thus set to realize domestic production of cutting-edge semiconductors.

On February 28, Rapidus Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art semiconductor plant at the Chitose Bibi World industrial park in Chitose City. Meeting with Hokkaido Governor Naomichi Suzuki at the Hokkaido Government Building, Rapidus President and CEO Atsuyoshi Koike enthused, “We are building an unprecedented factory. Creating a plant of this magnitude in Hokkaido poses a significant challenge.” He also mentioned the company’s plan to integrate AI and other cutting-edge technologies. Construction of the new plant will begin as early as fiscal 2023, with investments of approximately five trillion yen.

Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited (PCPD), a leading real estate developer based in Hong Kong, plans to construct some 25 villas in the Hanazono district of Kutchan Town. Land preparation of the 25 ha site is slated to start as early as the end of April. A builder will be selected later.

Marumi Co., Ltd., a real estate developer (Minami 16-jo Nishi 8-1-38, Chuo-ku, Sapporo), plans to develop 39 villa lots and construct other buildings on a 10 ha site in the Hirafu district of Kutchan Town. Land preparation is slated to begin in May 2023.