HOKKAIDO HAS long been known for dramatic volcanic peaks, creamy dairy products and powdery snow. These days, Japan’s northernmost major island is being touted(被吹捧，被宣扬) by enthusiasts as the country’s next high-tech hub(中心，枢纽). “Hokkaido is the new Taiwan,” writes James Riney of Coral Capital(一家东京风险投资公司), a Tokyo-based venture-capital firm. Japanese officials speak, somewhat breathlessly(气喘吁吁地，急切地), of “Hokkaido Valley(北海道谷（比喻高科技中心）)”.
北海道长期以来以壮观的火山峰、浓郁的乳制品和粉状雪闻名。如今，这个日本最北端的主岛正被爱好者们吹捧为日本下一个高科技中心。“北海道就是新台湾，”东京风险投资公司Coral Capital的James Riney写道。日本官员们有些急促地谈论着“北海道谷”。
The vision hinges on(取决于，关键在于) Rapidus, a bold if risky chipmaking effort. Launched in 2022, the company aims to bring Japan back to the frontier(前沿，边界) of advanced semiconductor manufacturing. Supported by the Japanese government and a consortium of big Japanese companies, Rapidus broke ground on its first fab in September 2023, in a field near the international airport in Chitose, a suburb south of Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital.(在日本政府和大型企业集团的支持下，Rapidus于2023年9月在札幌南部郊区千岁市机场附近的田野上破土动工建设其首座晶圆厂。) Pilot production of 2-nanometre chips, the cutting edge(前沿，尖端) for chipmaking technology, is under way. The ambitious effort is seen as a model for the sort of new-age industrial policy favoured by Japan’s prime minister, Takaichi Sanae(日本首相高市早苗).
这一愿景取决于Rapidus，一个大胆但有风险的芯片制造努力。该公司成立于2022年，旨在让日本重回先进半导体制造的前沿。在日本政府和大型日本企业集团的支持下，Rapidus于2023年9月在北海道首府札幌南部郊区千岁市国际机场附近的一块田野上破土动工建设其首座晶圆厂。2纳米芯片（芯片制造技术的前沿）的试生产正在进行中。这一雄心勃勃的努力被视为日本首相高市早苗所青睐的新型产业政策的典范。
Rapidus could have set up(建立，设立) in Kyushu, the southernmost main island. TSMC, a Taiwanese semiconductor giant, has two fabs there, tapping into(利用，开发) a strong local supplier network. (Officials there call Kyushu a “Silicon Island(硅岛（九州别称）)”.) But the Rapidus bosses settled on(选定，决定) Hokkaido. The island, home to the indigenous Ainu people(阿伊努人（日本原住民）), was once Japan’s frontier(边疆，边界), annexed(吞并，兼并) formally only in the late 19th century. The new frontier spirit(边疆精神，开拓精神) is focused on pioneering semiconductors, says Ota Yasuhiko of Hokkaido University.
Rapidus本可以在九州（最南端的主岛）建厂。台湾半导体巨头台积电在那里有两座晶圆厂，利用了强大的本地供应商网络。（当地官员称九州为“硅岛”。）但Rapidus的高层选择了北海道。这座岛屿是原住民阿伊努人的家园，曾是日本的边疆，直到19世纪末才被正式吞并。北海道大学的太田靖彦表示，新的边疆精神专注于开拓半导体。