Sony Opens New Semiconductor Plant for ADAS Sensors in Thailand

Sony Group has opened a new semiconductor fab in Thailand, dedicated to the production of automotive image sensors used in many ADAS-enabled cars.

Sony Group has recently started the operation of its latest semiconductor production facility in Thailand. With its construction commenced back in late 2022, this new plant is poised to rev up the production of automotive image sensors used on many ADAS-equipped vehicles nowadays.

Located at the existing Sony production hub that spans over 137,000 square-metre in Pathum Thani province, this new plant became operational in February of this year, providing a 70% increase in the hub’s total production capacity. According to Nikkei Asia, the Japanese firm has invested over JPY 10 billion (RM312 million) to set up this new semiconductor fab, where it will welcome an additional 2,000 employees by 2026.

With cars nowadays coming standard in many ADAS functions, demands for automotive image sensors are expected to further surge in years' time.

With demands for automotive image sensors now increasing due to more car models coming with ADAS functions, Sony Group has designed the new fab with some reserved space to accommodate future expansion.

"We anticipate medium- to long-term growth and aim to produce highly competitive products such as vehicle image sensors," stated Terushi Shimizu, President of Sony Semiconductor Solutions Group.

This new 66,000 square-metre facility will handle the back-end processing of the automotive image sensors, which involves processes like cutting and packaging the circuits in order to create the final product. Aside from automotive image sensors, this new fab will also produce other semiconductors, like a new type of laser diode used in high-capacity hard disk drives.

According to Sony Group, demands for high-performance image sensors are expected to rise in years’ time, with the group targeting a 39% global market share by 2025—a 14% increase over the group’s current market share of 25%.

Besides its involvement in automotive semiconductor production, Sony’s involvement in the automotive industry also includes its joint venture with Honda under a new EV marque called Afeela. Aside from the standard tech bits like facial recognition and 5G connectivity, the Afeela EV also comes with video game compatibility using the Sony PlayStation controllers.