Cook travels to Japan to visit Sony's factory, the main supplier of iPhone CIS

According to the Economic Daily News, Apple CEO Cook went to Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan this week to visit the Sony factory, the main supplier of CMOS image sensors for the iPhone. Kumamoto Prefecture is the center of Japan's semiconductor industry, and TSMC is working with Sony to build a fab there.

"We've partnered with Sony for a decade to create the world's leading image sensor for the iPhone," Cook tweeted on the 13th.

Apple said Sony is one of the company's largest suppliers in Japan, providing image sensors for iPhone products.

It is reported that Sony and TSMC are currently expanding their cooperation. The two parties are jointly establishing a 28nm 12-inch wafer fab in Kumamoto, Japan. TSMC's first fab in Japan is now in Kumamoto Prefecture. In addition, Hou Yongqing, senior deputy general manager of TSMC, once said that in addition to the factory being built in Kumamoto Prefecture, TSMC does not rule out building a new factory in Japan. "We want to see how the Kumamoto plant is doing before we decide whether another plant might be built."

The industry speculates that with Cook's visit this time, TSMC and Sony are expected to cooperate more closely with Apple in the future.