Sony Corporation announced today that it will spin off its semiconductor business into its own company in April 2016. Other parts of the corporation will see a restructuring of operations while all of the research and development, business, sales, and other operations related to the semiconductor and image sensor business will benefit from more autonomy under one separate roof. It has long been known that while Sony's other ventures have struggled recently, their semiconductor business does extremely well, as it is positioned as a market leader, whereas many manufacturers (including Nikon and Apple) use their sensors almost exclusively.
From the press release:
The aim of these measures is to ensure clearly attributable accountability and responsibility from the perspective of shareholders, management policies with an emphasis on sustainable profit generation, and the acceleration of decision-making processes and reinforcement of business competitiveness. The decision to establish Sony Semiconductor Solutions forms part of this strategy.
In all optimism, hopefully this will allow Sony's semiconductor business to move "full steam ahead," further cementing its place in the industry and allowing it to develop and introduce newer, improved sensor technology on an even faster timeline. If this is the case, that would mean better, beefier chips in our cameras as time goes on.
[via Sony]
This is great new, I for one would love a good sensor war that pushes more toward medium format on a better consumer level