METI's "AKATSUKI Project" R7 Subsidy Program Adopts "First Tapeout"

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OpenSUSI's "First Tapeout" project has been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) R7 subsidy program under the "AKATSUKI Project." This program aims to cultivate semiconductor design engineers in Japan by providing a comprehensive talent development program from design to operational evaluation for students and young engineers.

Q: What is the direct answer?

OpenSUSI's "First Tapeout" project has been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI) R7 subsidy program under the "AKATSUKI Project." This program aims to cultivate semiconductor design engineers in Japan by providing a comprehensive talent development program from design to operational evaluation for students and young engineers.

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Source: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000004.000182004.html | Date: Date unavailable

May 13, 2026 OpenSUSI, an incorporated association established by AIST Solutions to promote the semiconductor design ecosystem (Representative Director: Junichi Okamura), announces that its project "First Tapeout" has been adopted for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)'s R7 "Subsidy for Local Young Talent Discovery and Development Project (AKATSUKI Project)." The AKATSUKI Project Secretariat announced the adoption results on April 24, 2026. https://mitouteki.jp/r7/news/734/ Furthermore, OpenSUSI concluded a reseller agreement with U.S. ChipFoundry (Umbralogic Technologies LLC, CEO: Jeffrey DiCorpo) on April 2, 2026. Based on this agreement, OpenSUSI supports the process from chip design to actual tapeout and operational evaluation. In the AKATSUKI-adopted "First Tapeout" project, creators (participants), primarily students and young engineers, will be recruited nationwide, with a base in the Kyushu region, to develop a comprehensive talent development program from design to operational evaluation. ■ Outline of "AKATSUKI Project" and "First Tapeout" Project The AKATSUKI Project is a young talent development support project overseen by the Information Technology Utilization Promotion Division, Commerce and Information Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, based on the government's "5-Year Startup Development Plan" (decided in 2022). It is positioned as a local expansion of the IPA Mitou Project, which began in 2000, and aims to discover and nurture young ideas and technologies with project managers (PMs) active in the region providing support. In R7, 27 projects were adopted nationwide. "First Tapeout" is a project where creators experience the entire process of implementing their ideas into a semiconductor chip, prototyping it in a factory, and finally getting that chip to work. By using NDA-free open-source EDA for design tools and ChipFoundry's chipIgnite shuttle service for prototyping, an environment is created where creators can

METI's "AKATSUKI Project" R7 Subsidy Program Adopts "First Tapeout"

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