Prior to the imposition of tight US sanctions, Huawei Technologies was a major purchaser of Sony image sensors, which were utilized in Chinese smartphones sold under the Huawei and Honour brands. Sony is now focusing on fulfilling Apple orders while also growing its image sensor capacity to meet the Chinese market and open up new market segments.

Nikkei Asian Review reports on this in conjunction with Sony's recent event to commemorate the completion of additional image sensor production facilities in Nagasaki. The production areas began to expand here in the summer of 2022, eventually increasing by 60%. Simultaneously, Sony aims to expand image sensor production at the plant, which is near to the JASM chip plant under development in Kumamoto, in which Sony is collaborating with TSMC and Denso. In fact, financing the JASM joint venture was originally part of Sony's intentions, particularly with the goal of expanding image sensor output.

Sony's current specialized capabilities are insufficient to match Apple's demand, but with the introduction of new lines, the Japanese business will be able to gain orders from Chinese smartphone manufacturers, most notably Xiaomi and Oppo. Sony Lytia image sensors were offered for the Chinese market last year. In addition, the company is working on new picture sensors for Apple handsets that will increase the quality of photos taken in low-light conditions.

Sony is also on the lookout for novel applications for image sensors. Special cameras, for example, can be employed in the logistics industry to monitor the movement of goods vehicles and the work of shippers in order to identify bottlenecks in business operations. Cameras will also enable the automation of some of these operations.