Sony makes camera and smartphone sensors for brands, including the iPhone. Recently, Sony’s semiconductor unit chief Terushi Shimizu says that the company has been having trouble keeping up with demands, even when its production lines are running 24 hours a day.
Sony intends to increase capital spending on semiconductors to 280 billion yen, or roughly $2.6 billion dollars. The company also plans to build a new factory in Nagasaki which should be operational come April 2021.
The demand mostly comes from the trend that more and more cameras are appearing on the back of smartphones. Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max and Pro have three while the iPhone 11 has two. Camera sensors are Sony’s primary source of revenue, with the Playstation being second.
It’s speculated that Apple will be adopting Sony’s TOF, or time of flight cameras that can recreate a 3D model of a photo via invisible laser pulses for the next iPhone lineup.
