Sony considering building ¥100 billion chip plant for smartphone image sensors

Sony Corp. is considering spending around ¥100 billion ($900 million) to build a new semiconductor plant in southwestern Japan to meet the growing demand for image sensors used in smartphones, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. Sony, the world's largest maker of image sensors, is considering constructing the new plant adjacent to the site of its Isahaya plant in Nagasaki Prefecture, seeking to start operations sometime in the fiscal year ending March 2022, the sources said. The electronics giant holds about a 50 percent share of the global image sensor market. It also produces the sensors at plants in Kumamoto, Yamagata and Oita prefectures. The chip business is a key growth driver for Sony, as demand for image sensors, used in a wide range of products including self-driving vehicles, is expected to continue on an upward trend.