"Image Sensor No.1" Sony Semiconductor President: "Competing with Samsung While Preserving Our DNA"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Yamaguchi Yoshihiro, president of Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing, a Japanese company that Samsung Electronics is fiercely chasing in the image sensor field, which acts as the "eye of the smartphone," said, "We will leverage Sony's DNA and compete where it truly matters."

In an interview with Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun published on the 24th, President Yamaguchi responded to a question about Samsung Electronics and others chasing in the market by saying, "Even if it is a market where we are being chased by Samsung, the image quality created through processing technology appeals to human emotions," adding, "It is difficult to quantify, but this is Sony's origin and DNA. We will compete where it truly counts."

Sony is competing with Samsung Electronics in the smartphone image sensor market. According to market research firm Strategy Analytics (SA), Sony holds a 44.6% market share in the smartphone image sensor market, ranking first, while Samsung Electronics holds 28.7%, ranking second. Although the gap between the two companies is still 15.9 percentage points, during this period Samsung's market share increased by 2.6 percentage points, and Sony's decreased by 5.8 percentage points, significantly narrowing the gap compared to the fourth quarter of last year (24.5 percentage points).

Image sensors are system semiconductors known as the "eyes of the Fourth Industrial Revolution," converting light entering through camera lenses into digital signals to generate images.

Regarding the announcement last May to expand production capacity at the semiconductor plant in Nagasaki Prefecture that produces image sensors, President Yamaguchi said, "This is to respond to the demand for our main product, mobile image sensors, and to address high value-added products," adding, "The Nagasaki Center is one of the key bases for CMOS image sensors (CIS). We will expand production facilities and strengthen the production system to supply high-definition, high-performance sensors to markets such as smartphone cameras with upgraded performance."

Furthermore, President Yamaguchi addressed the outlook that the semiconductor market is deteriorating, stating, "I think the current phase of CMOS supply shortages will continue a bit longer. CMOS supply is insufficient compared to demand," and mentioned proposals to increase the number of sensors per device and to enlarge camera sizes. However, he added that there is a development challenge in how many products can be released that exceed customers' high expectations for performance, and that efforts will be made in this regard.

Sony is building a factory in Kumamoto Prefecture through a joint venture with Taiwanese foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing) company TSMC. President Yamaguchi said, "We have been outsourcing semiconductor production to TSMC since the late 1980s. Since around 2010, we have been receiving many parts of the logic and stacked types used in image sensors," adding, "Having a base nearby provides psychological stability and is a positive factor in strengthening the supply chain."

President Yamaguchi expressed hope that the presence of the global company TSMC coming to Kyushu will change the perception of semiconductors in Japan and showed anticipation for people interested in semiconductors gathering in Kyushu.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.