Latin America. Sony Latin America announced that at the end of fiscal year 2015, i.e. March 31, 2016, it plans to invest in Sony Semiconductor Corporation to increase its production capacity for stackable CMOS image sensors.
The main objective of this investment is to expand the production facilities that are used for the mastering and stratification processes for stackable CMOS image sensors, specifically in Nagasaki Technology Center, Yamagata Technology Center and Kumamoto Technology Center of Sony Semiconductor.
With this investment, Sony plans to increase the total production capacity for image sensors from its current level of approximately 60,000 sheets per month to approximately 80,000 sheets per month by the end of June 2016.
Previously, as a medium- and long-term goal, Sony had set out to increase its total production capacity for image sensors to approximately 75,000 sheets per month. To facilitate this increase in production, Sony has continued to expand its production facilities at each of the sites, and opened Yamagata TEC in March 2014. Through this investment, Sony will exceed its previous target ahead of schedule.
Stackable CMOS image sensors offer superior image quality and advanced functionality in compact size. An even greater demand for these image sensors is anticipated, particularly within the growing market for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Sony is striving to increase its production capacity for stackable CMOS image sensors and to further strengthen its integrated sourcing operations to reinforce its leading position in the image sensor market.
The total amount of investment is projected to be approximately 105 billion yen.
