Sony may be interested in expanding its cooperation with Samsung

Sony is the leading company in the global CMOS image sensor (CIS) market, according to the latest statistics, holding over half of the market share at 51.6%. Samsung ranked second, but the gap between Sony and Samsung was significant, with a market share of only 15.6%. Although the two companies have a high degree of competition, it does not mean that cooperation is impossible. For example, Samsung, the world’s largest manufacturer, also supplies panels to Sony for televisions.

According to a report by Digitimes, Sony may be interested in expanding its cooperation with Samsung. The two companies plan to hold a closed-door meeting at Samsung’s Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant in South Korea. Participants include Samsung’s Equipment Solutions (DS) department head, Kye Hyun Kyung, and Sony Chairman Kenichiro Yoshida. About five to six executives from Sony and Samsung will discuss specific semiconductor supply plans. The Sony team attending the meeting will also visit Samsung’s semiconductor facilities and plant, although neither company has responded to the rumors.

It is reported that the focus of the meeting between Sony and Samsung is on advanced wafer foundry and CIS business. Samsung intends to expand the application of 4nm technology to the automotive semiconductor field, while Sony plans to expand CIS production, not only in the mobile market but also targeting the automotive CIS market. In the past, Sony mainly relied on TSMC, the world’s largest wafer foundry. This time, Sony has turned to Samsung, which ranks second, as a choice to ensure supply and improve efficiency.

Recently, Samsung’s main business in the semiconductor field, memory, has been in trouble, and it urgently needs other businesses to make up for the losses. By attracting Sony, which is looking to enter the automotive manufacturing industry, the two companies do indeed have considerable cooperation space. At CES 2023 earlier this year, Sony, along with Honda, showcased its new electric car, Afeela, which is currently under development. Sony confirmed that it has established a cooperative relationship with companies such as Qualcomm during the development process, attracting attention from the public.