Sony to Invest $345 Million to Increase Production of Image Sensors for Smartphones and Tablets

Sony says it will invest $345 million to increase the production of image sensors for smartphones and tablets, reports Reuters. The company is getting more orders from handset makers for its front-facing camera sensors as selfies and video chat become increasingly popular.

The Japanese firm said it will increase production of stacked CMOS sensors at two factories on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, while completing work on a factory in northwestern Japan it bought from Renesas Electronics Corp for a total investment of 35 billion yen.

Sony supplies image sensors for the iPhone and will likely continue to do so for the iPhone 6. Its investment will allow it to raise production by 13% to 68,000 wafers a month by August 2015, moving closer to its mid-term goal of 75,000.


Notably, Apple is asking suppliers to manufacture 70 to 80 million 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 units by the year's end. That's up from 50 million and 60 million units for the iPhone 5S and 5C last year.

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