Renesas is Japan's largest semiconductor company and a top automotive IC supplier. Wafer fabrication occurs in Japan; assembly and test are primarily in Malaysia and the Philippines. Japanese-origin Renesas parts face only the 10% Section 122 surcharge.
Renesas Electronics is headquartered in Japan, but most components are manufactured in Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, China. For US customs purposes, the COO is where the component is manufactured — not where the company is based. Declaring Japan as COO when parts ship from Japan is a customs violation.
Wafer fabrication
Assembly and test
Assembly and test
Assembly and test
| Country | Sec 122 | Sec 301 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 10% | — | 10% |
| Malaysia | 10% | — | 10% |
| Philippines | 10% | — | 10% |
| China | 10% | 50% | 60% |
* Section 301 rates shown for electronics HTS chapters (8541–8542). Rates vary by product.
| HTS Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 8542.31.0025 | RA, RX, RZ microcontrollers and MPUs |
| 8542.39.0000 | Power management, motor drivers |
Renesas Electronics is Japan's largest semiconductor company, formed from the merger of NEC Electronics and Renesas Technology (itself a Hitachi/Mitsubishi joint venture). Renesas operates a hybrid IDM model with front-end wafer fabrication at Japanese fabs in Naka (Ibaraki), Tsuruoka (Yamagata), and Takasaki (Gunma), primarily on 130 nm to 40 nm processes. Back-end assembly and test for the majority of catalog products occurs in Malaysia (Penang and Kuala Lumpur) and the Philippines (Calamba), with some overflow at the Suzhou, China facility. Renesas-branded products from former Intersil and Dialog Semiconductor acquisitions may have different back-end site assignments. Japan and Malaysia are the predominant declared COOs for US-import Renesas parts.
Renesas microcontrollers (RA, RX, RZ, RL78, R-Car families) classify under HTS 8542.31.0025. Power management ICs (ISL, DA, RAA families) and analog ICs classify under 8542.39.0000. Motor driver ICs classify under 8542.39.0000. For Japan-origin Renesas parts (most RA and RX MCUs, Naka and Tsuruoka fab output assembled in Malaysia): 10% Section 122. For Malaysia and Philippines back-end assembled parts where Malaysia or Philippines is the final transformation site: 10% Section 122. For China (Suzhou)-assembled Renesas parts: approximately 60% (10% Section 122 + 50% Section 301). Renesas explicitly discloses manufacturing site on its part traceability system, accessible to registered customers.
Renesas is a tier-1 automotive MCU supplier, with R-Car SoCs powering infotainment and ADAS systems and the RH850 family dominating powertrain and body control applications. R-Car V4H and V4M for level-3 ADAS are fabricated at TSMC (7 nm) with assembly in Malaysia. RH850 automotive MCUs are fabricated at Renesas's Naka fab and assembled in Malaysia and the Philippines. All AECQ-100 qualified Renesas automotive parts are produced in non-China back-end sites, meaning they face the 10% Section 122 rate. This is an important procurement data point for US automotive tier-1 buyers structuring multi-year supply agreements.
The March 2021 fire at Renesas's Naka fab (Building N3, 300mm line) caused a global shortage of automotive MCUs that persisted through 2023, with some RH850 and R-Car variants still at extended lead times. The incident exposed the concentration risk of Renesas's Japanese fab network. Recovery production was supplemented by TSMC outsourcing and reallocation across Tsuruoka and Takasaki sites. As of Q1 2026, most Renesas automotive MCU families have normalized lead times of 26–40 weeks through authorized distribution, though the 2021 supply shock underscored the importance of 6–12 months of safety stock for sole-sourced automotive MCUs regardless of tariff regime.
Renesas's acquisitions of Intersil (2017), IDT (2019), and Dialog Semiconductor (2021) have expanded its analog, power management, and wireless IC portfolio. Former Intersil products (ISL power management ICs) are primarily assembled in Malaysia and the Philippines, maintaining the 10% rate. Former Dialog DA series Bluetooth SoCs and PMIC for wearables were assembled in Taiwan and Malaysia. The integration of these product lines into Renesas's manufacturing network means buyers must verify COO at the part number level rather than relying on broad family-level assumptions, as the same brand family may have multiple back-end site histories.
Enter any Renesas Electronics part number to get the COO, HTS code, and full duty calculation including MPF and HMF.
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