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Fun fact, Fujitsu used to run their own fabs in Japan until they were sold to UMC and now they're another UMC fab although they are stuck at like the 20nm node.

Fun fact, Fujitsu used to run their own fabs in Japan until they were sold to UMC and now they're another UMC fab although they are stuck at like the 20nm node. So this is likely made at JASM.

iicc 16d ago
I think they'd say if the CPU was fabbed in Japan, instead there's some very "careful" wording: >next-generation CPU, FUJITSU-MONAKA [1], designed and developed in Japan >Fujitsu MONAKA Server, powered by the FUJITSU-MONAKA CPU, enhances sovereign capabilities through domestic manufacturing,
- iicc 16d ago
  >FUJITSU-MONAKA utilizes a 3D-stacked architecture with a state-of-the-art 2nm process for the core and a 5nm process for the cache and I/O sections. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Advanced_Semiconductor_Manufacturing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Advanced_Semiconductor_M... >The Phase 2 factory was under construction as of January 2025, next to the Phase 1 facility, and is expected to be completed by 2027.[3] Initially planned for manufacturing semiconductors using a 6 nm process, 3 nm was incorporated into production plans for 2028 in 2026
- kennywinker 16d ago
  Right below the headline it says: > Achieving world-class AI inference performance through Japan-developed 2nm 3D-stacked CPU and server integrated, developed, and manufactured in Japan Sounds pretty clear to me
  - amelius 16d ago
    So, server manufactured/integrated in Japan; actual chip manufactured elsewhere (but "developed" in Japan, whatever that means)?
    - ddtaylor 16d ago
      Doesn't really make sense to me. The whole "sovereign" thing is to basically say you won't be screwed if you go to war with a country tomorrow because you are dependent on their supply chain. Nothing about this changes that IMO. They're still getting the chips fabbed somewhere else and run the same risks.
      - adrian_b 16d ago
        True, but besides wars there are other dangers, e.g. USA does not declare war when they apply "sanctions" randomly, under the legal theory that they can dictate how anything that includes some piece of US origin may be used by its owner. Since that theory began to be used, anyone outside US has become anxious to become "sovereign", i.e. to stop using anything about which a foreign state can claim to have rights.
      - AtlasBarfed 16d ago
        Isn't the supply chain on advanced semiconductors ludicrously extended? Wafers rare Earth's, specialized equipment, etc?
      - numpad0 16d ago
        It means it's not beating B300 in FP4 TOPS.
      - stinkbeetle 16d ago
        > Doesn't really make sense to me. The whole "sovereign" thing is to basically say you won't be screwed if you go to war with a country tomorrow because you are dependent on their supply chain. I don't think it is that basic. If anything it's probably more about having protection from trade and sanction threats, and insulation from shortages, supply chain problems. > Nothing about this changes that IMO. They're still getting the chips fabbed somewhere else and run the same risks. It certainly changes it. Chip design is of enormous importance and the technology leaders there are concentrated in the USA. Silicon manufacturing is a different thing. Japan is also trying to bring up sovereign leading(ish) edge manufacturing. Obviously you keep peeling the onion on everything though - to do digital logic they need EDA tools and quite possibly IP blocks for PCI and DDR and so on. To do manufacturing they need scanners from ASML and a process design from IBM and so on... It doesn't mean that because they can't do everything from the ground up that it's pointless. At some point they need to import coal and iron ore and bauxite.
  - wongarsu 16d ago
    depends on whether you read it as ((2nm 3d stacked CPU) and server) (integrated, developed, and manufactured in Japan) or (2nm 3d stacked CPU) and (server integrated, developed, and manufactured in Japan)
  - TheRealPomax 16d ago
    Indeed, it is extremely clear: by not saying "manufactured in Japan", the words "developed in Japan" tell you that they drew up the designs for the CPU in Japan, and then sent those designs off to a fab outside Japan for actual manufacturing. Then they bring those CPUs back to Japan, so that the server can be manufactured in Japan even if the server components are not. That manufacturing step may change in the future, but right now that CPU is not "Made in Japan", it's only "Designed in Japan".
    - adrian_b 16d ago
      They did a presentation at Hot Chips, with all these details. The core die is made with TSMC-N2P, while the SRAM die and the peripheral die are made with TSMC-N5. Their CPU is designed in Japan, like the AMD CPUs or the Intel CPUs are designed in USA (the latest Panther Lake Intel CPUs have returned for fabrication to USA in 2026, but they also cost double than the corresponding Arrow Lake models made at TSMC in 2025, and their GPUs are still made at TSMC).
      - osnium123 16d ago
        When will they be using Rapidus?
  - aurareturn 16d ago
    The compute part must have been made in Taiwan because it uses TSMC N2. TSMC N2 is only available in Taiwan right now due to a law restricting the latest node to Taiwan for 1-2 years.
    - alightsoul 16d ago
      That's Taiwan's silicon shield which the taiwanese see as important. That's why japan has rapidus and the us has Intel
- flakiness 16d ago
  Yeah I had a slight hope that they'd be a one of the first real Rapidus customers. but apparently not (for this one at least).
szatkus 16d ago
It's 2nm, so it has to be manufactured by TSMC.
- alightsoul 16d ago
  I would assume they want to switch to rapidus asap once it comes online

Fun fact, Fujitsu used to run their own fabs in Japan until they were sold to UMC and now they're another UMC fab although they are stuck at like the 20nm node. So this is likely made at JASM.

iicc 16d ago

I think they'd say if the CPU was fabbed in Japan, instead there's some very "careful" wording: >next-generation CPU, FUJITSU-MONAKA [1], designed and developed in Japan >Fujitsu MONAKA Server, powered by the FUJITSU-MONAKA CPU, enhances sovereign capabilities through domestic manufacturing,

iicc 16d ago
>FUJITSU-MONAKA utilizes a 3D-stacked architecture with a state-of-the-art 2nm process for the core and a 5nm process for the cache and I/O sections. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Advanced_Semiconductor_Manufacturing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Advanced_Semiconductor_M... >The Phase 2 factory was under construction as of January 2025, next to the Phase 1 facility, and is expected to be completed by 2027.[3] Initially planned for manufacturing semiconductors using a 6 nm process, 3 nm was incorporated into production plans for 2028 in 2026
kennywinker 16d ago
Right below the headline it says: > Achieving world-class AI inference performance through Japan-developed 2nm 3D-stacked CPU and server integrated, developed, and manufactured in Japan Sounds pretty clear to me
- amelius 16d ago
  So, server manufactured/integrated in Japan; actual chip manufactured elsewhere (but "developed" in Japan, whatever that means)?
  - ddtaylor 16d ago
    Doesn't really make sense to me. The whole "sovereign" thing is to basically say you won't be screwed if you go to war with a country tomorrow because you are dependent on their supply chain. Nothing about this changes that IMO. They're still getting the chips fabbed somewhere else and run the same risks.
    - adrian_b 16d ago
      True, but besides wars there are other dangers, e.g. USA does not declare war when they apply "sanctions" randomly, under the legal theory that they can dictate how anything that includes some piece of US origin may be used by its owner. Since that theory began to be used, anyone outside US has become anxious to become "sovereign", i.e. to stop using anything about which a foreign state can claim to have rights.
    - AtlasBarfed 16d ago
      Isn't the supply chain on advanced semiconductors ludicrously extended? Wafers rare Earth's, specialized equipment, etc?
    - numpad0 16d ago
      It means it's not beating B300 in FP4 TOPS.
    - stinkbeetle 16d ago
      > Doesn't really make sense to me. The whole "sovereign" thing is to basically say you won't be screwed if you go to war with a country tomorrow because you are dependent on their supply chain. I don't think it is that basic. If anything it's probably more about having protection from trade and sanction threats, and insulation from shortages, supply chain problems. > Nothing about this changes that IMO. They're still getting the chips fabbed somewhere else and run the same risks. It certainly changes it. Chip design is of enormous importance and the technology leaders there are concentrated in the USA. Silicon manufacturing is a different thing. Japan is also trying to bring up sovereign leading(ish) edge manufacturing. Obviously you keep peeling the onion on everything though - to do digital logic they need EDA tools and quite possibly IP blocks for PCI and DDR and so on. To do manufacturing they need scanners from ASML and a process design from IBM and so on... It doesn't mean that because they can't do everything from the ground up that it's pointless. At some point they need to import coal and iron ore and bauxite.
- wongarsu 16d ago
  depends on whether you read it as ((2nm 3d stacked CPU) and server) (integrated, developed, and manufactured in Japan) or (2nm 3d stacked CPU) and (server integrated, developed, and manufactured in Japan)
- TheRealPomax 16d ago
  Indeed, it is extremely clear: by not saying "manufactured in Japan", the words "developed in Japan" tell you that they drew up the designs for the CPU in Japan, and then sent those designs off to a fab outside Japan for actual manufacturing. Then they bring those CPUs back to Japan, so that the server can be manufactured in Japan even if the server components are not. That manufacturing step may change in the future, but right now that CPU is not "Made in Japan", it's only "Designed in Japan".
  - adrian_b 16d ago
    They did a presentation at Hot Chips, with all these details. The core die is made with TSMC-N2P, while the SRAM die and the peripheral die are made with TSMC-N5. Their CPU is designed in Japan, like the AMD CPUs or the Intel CPUs are designed in USA (the latest Panther Lake Intel CPUs have returned for fabrication to USA in 2026, but they also cost double than the corresponding Arrow Lake models made at TSMC in 2025, and their GPUs are still made at TSMC).
    - osnium123 16d ago
      When will they be using Rapidus?
- aurareturn 16d ago
  The compute part must have been made in Taiwan because it uses TSMC N2. TSMC N2 is only available in Taiwan right now due to a law restricting the latest node to Taiwan for 1-2 years.
  - alightsoul 16d ago
    That's Taiwan's silicon shield which the taiwanese see as important. That's why japan has rapidus and the us has Intel
flakiness 16d ago
Yeah I had a slight hope that they'd be a one of the first real Rapidus customers. but apparently not (for this one at least).

szatkus 16d ago

It's 2nm, so it has to be manufactured by TSMC.

alightsoul 16d ago
I would assume they want to switch to rapidus asap once it comes online