Both Canon and Sony have announced substantial investments in factories for producing CMOS image sensors for digital cameras, according to a report from JPEA International PEN News Weekly.

 

August 7, 2007: Both Canon and Sony have announced substantial investments in factories for producing CMOS image sensors for digital cameras, according to a report from JPEA International PEN News Weekly.
Canon’s new factory will be on an existing site in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is expected to start operations by July 2008 and will have roughly the same annual production capacity as the existing factory, nearby in Ayase. A forecast output of approximately three million CMOS sensors, which will be used in both DSLR models as well as in some compact models, will double current capacity. According to the report, Canon aims to produce 24 million digital cameras this year, including 3 million DSLRs.
Sony will invest 60 billion Yen over the next three years to increase production of CMOS imagers its Kumamoto Technology Center of Sony Semiconductor Kyusyu Corp (Kumamoto TEC). Mass production of the new sensors has recently commenced at Kumamoto TEC’s existing 5,000-square-metre facility.