More than 20 Japanese companies, including Kyocera (TYO:6971), Canon (TYO:7751) and Honda Motor (TYO:7267), plan to invest in Rapidus as it raises private funding for advanced chip production in Japan, Nikkei reported Friday.

Existing shareholders such as Sony Group (TYO:6758) are set to increase their stakes as Rapidus moves toward securing about 130 billion yen for fiscal 2025, expanding its shareholder base to roughly 30 firms. New investors include Fujifilm Holdings (TYO:4901), Ushio (TYO:6925) and Nippon Express Holdings (TYO:9147), the report said.

Rapidus aims to finalize agreements this month, with individual investments estimated at 500 million to 20 billion yen. Financial institutions will contribute up to 25 billion yen, while Japan's megabanks plan loans of as much as 2 trillion yen from fiscal 2027, according to the report.

The company targets mass production of 2-nanometre chips in Hokkaido from fiscal 2027. It expects to need more than 7 trillion yen by fiscal 2031, supported by 2.9 trillion yen in government funding already committed, the report said.

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