IBM announced an office in Chitose, Hokkaido, on October 26, 2026, with the stated aim of expanding support for semiconductor customers, including Rapidus.

How IBM’s office relates to Rapidus’s 2nm program

Rapidus’s English-language corporate video shows cleanroom and equipment footage at IIM-1 and includes Atsuo Shimizu discussing pilot-line milestones and gate-all-around (GAA) operations.

IBM and Rapidus have collaborated on 2nm technology development since 2022. Rapidus’s IIM-1 facility is also in Chitose, placing the office and the chipmaker’s manufacturing project in the same city.

Rapidus’s reported production goal

A previously reported Rapidus plan aimed for mass production of 2nm chips in the second half of 2027. IBM’s office announcement concerns customer support; the production goal is a separate Rapidus plan.