Samsung and UMC have reached a new cooperation model. Samsung invested in the equipment to be placed in the UMC Nanke P6 plant, and then UMC foundry to produce ISP and related panel driver ICs.
Industry insiders believe that this is Samsung’s strategy to counter the alliance between Sony and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the leader in image sensors.
Sony formally cooperated with TSMC last year, and for the first time handed over the key parts of the CIS image sensor to TSMC..
According to data revealed by Strategy Analytics, Sony and Samsung rank the top two in the smartphone image sensor market in 2020, with Sony’s revenue share of 46% and Samsung’s 29%.
Strategy Analytics also stated that Sony has lost key businesses due to the sanctions imposed on Huawei. Samsung, OmniVision, and SK Hynix continue to seize market share from Sony.
As competition in the smartphone image sensor market intensifies, Sony’s market dominance will be increasingly threatened.
(Via)
