According to Nikkei, chip manufacturer Rohm Semiconductor has launched a 5 billion yen (approximately $45.3 million) venture capital fund to invest in next-generation semiconductor technologies that can drive growth in the coming decades.
The report pointed out that Rohm Semiconductor plans to invest in startups in Japan and overseas that have new chip-related technologies or provide chip-driven products and services, as well as startups in new business areas such as decarbonization.
ROHM’s fund first invested 300 million yen in the US start-up company Locix, which provides spatial intelligence solutions for warehouses and factories. Rohm believes that its technology will help expand semiconductor sales channels.
Nikkei pointed out that the fund also invested 200 million yen in a fund operated by Monozukuri Ventures, a manufacturing start-up headquartered in Kyoto.
The report stated that Rohm Semiconductor hopes to re-identify and promote technologies that can serve as its next driver for growth in the 2030s and beyond.