Sony Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. and Taiwan Semiconductor
Manufacturing Company Limited (TSMC) has announced that they have signed a basic agreement that is not legally binding for a strategic partnership in the development and manufacture of next-generation image sensors.

Under this partnership, Sony and TSMC are joint ventures in which Sony holds a majority of the shares and becomes a controlling shareholder. The companies are considering the development and construction of a production line for the newly built Sony factory in Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture. Through this joint venture, the two companies plan to utilize Sony’s knowledge of image sensor design and TSMC’s strengths in process technology and advanced manufacturing capabilities as part of a broader collaboration to improve the performance of image sensors.

Based on this agreement, Sony and TSMC are discussing future investments through this partnership. The investments are being considered on the premise that they will be implemented in stages according to market demand and will receive support from the Japanese government, along with Sony’s new investment in the existing factory in Nagasaki.

In addition, this partnership will explore and respond to new opportunities in the field of physical AI applications, such as automotive and robotics, and aims to lay a foundation for future innovation and further technological development.

Sony and TSMC already have a separate joint venture called Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM) that was established ​in 2021 and ‌is majority-owned by TSMC. JASM’s first fab plant, which is in Japan, ​started volume production in late 2024.