[Business Cases] Sony – Development of CMOS Image Sensors

Abstract

The CMOS image sensors (CMOS sensors) are widely used in smartphone cameras, and its market size (2021) is estimated to be approximately $21.3 billion, with an average annual growth rate (2021-2027) of 6.7%.
Currently, Sony's CMOS sensors hold the top market share. Looking back at the history of Sony's image sensors, they successfully developed CCD image sensors and maintained a high market share in the CCD market by incorporating them into camera-integrated videos in the 1980s. However, around the year 2000, a new technology called CMOS sensors, which had lower image quality than CCD, emerged for mobile (feature phone) applications. In this case, we will explore how Sony, the leader in the CCD market, overcame the dilemma of innovation and successfully responded to the emerging technology of CMOS sensors from the perspectives of technology, market, and organization.