(Note) Packaging technology: A mounting technology that protects semiconductor chips while providing electrical connections to the substrate and dissipating heat. As semiconductor performance improves and devices become smaller, the importance of next-generation semiconductor packaging—which integrates multiple semiconductor chips into a single unit—is increasing worldwide.

The reason for relocating the base from Tsukuba to Kawasaki

Our Packaging Solution Center was originally located in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, but in 2018 we relocated entirely to Kawasaki City.

There were three main reasons for the move. First, the new location offered enough space to accommodate our 5,000 m² facilities. Second, as discussions and joint research with customers and partner companies became more active, we needed a site with excellent access from Haneda Airport and Tokyo Station. Third, the Kanagawa–Tokyo area is home to a large concentration of semiconductor-related companies, which we saw as a major advantage for facilitating collaboration.

Utilizing support from Kanagawa Prefecture and Kawasaki City, and its benefits

For the relocation, we utilized Kanagawa Prefecture’s business location support program. By meeting requirements such as our business plan and employment scale, we were able to receive subsidies to introduce evaluation equipment and other facilities. Over the 10-year support period, the Center grew to a team of around 130 members—exceeding our initial expectations at the start of operations—and we were able to smoothly install specialized equipment.

In addition, within “Shin-Kawasaki Sozo-no-Mori,” developed by Kawasaki City, our company moved into a floor of AIRBIC, a facility for industry–academia exchange and R&D. From the design stage, Kawasaki City accommodated our requests with flexibility—addressing details such as floor load capacity, pillar placement, and even the ceiling height of the cleanroom.

For example, in some rooms we secured a high floor load capacity of 1.7 tons per square meter to accommodate heavy semiconductor manufacturing equipment. In addition, the cleanroom design minimizes the use of pillars, incorporating structural innovations that maximize research and development efficiency.

We believe that this level of flexibility in public–private collaboration has greatly contributed to developing a facility that meets the special requirements demanded by advanced industries.

Open innovation at the Kawasaki site and its role as the core hub of “JOINT2”

In JOINT2, fourteen companies bring together their technical challenges by theme to conduct research and evaluation, aiming to develop new packaging technologies* in response to the ongoing miniaturization and increasing size of semiconductors.

Among them, the Kawasaki site plays a central role by leveraging our 30 years of expertise in packaging material evaluation to bring together technologies from participating companies and carry out prototyping and verification.

Although materials and equipment manufacturers are in competition with each other, sharing evaluation results enables them to make technical proposals that anticipate customer needs.

The site receives over 250 visits annually from companies and universities, with information exchange and joint research taking place daily. Compared to our time in Tsukuba, the number of visits has increased fivefold, underscoring the growing value of having a base where stakeholders can engage in dialogue while seeing the actual equipment and prototypes in person.

In fact, these “showcase facilities” often serve as a catalyst for new collaborations. With stakeholders visiting at a pace of more than one case per day, our network has been naturally expanding as a result.

Industrial Clusters Fostered by Kanagawa’s Location and Environment, and Future Outlook

Kanagawa Prefecture hosts a well-balanced concentration of companies involved in every stage of the semiconductor value chain, including materials, equipment, substrates, and processing. Combined with excellent accessibility from Haneda Airport and central Tokyo, as well as an environment well-suited for research and manufacturing, the region provides fertile ground for fostering cross-industry collaboration.

We are currently focusing on developing advanced packaging technologies in collaboration with domestic and international partners, making full use of Kanagawa Prefecture’s industrial infrastructure and human networks.

In this context, we've positioned our Packaging Solution Center (PSC) as a core hub for co-creation. We are working to strengthen industry-academia and inter-company collaborations through "JOINT2" and to integrate knowledge and implementation environments from both within and outside the region. We feel we are getting closer to achieving a new industrial model: "creating world-class packaging technology from Kanagawa."

Business Attraction Initiative: “Select Kanagawa NEXT”

Kanagawa Prefecture is working to revitalize the local economy and create jobs through its business attraction initiative, “Select Kanagawa NEXT.” This program not only attracts companies from outside the prefecture and abroad, but also promotes reinvestment by companies already based in Kanagawa. The prefecture’s business location promotion subsidies can be combined with municipal subsidies for corporate locations within the prefecture. For more details, please refer to the following Kanagawa Prefecture website.
Introduction to “Select Kanagawa NEXT”