Sony's CMOS market share dropped by 2%, while Samsung and OmniVision accelerated their catch-up

On August 14, according to the latest statistics on the global CIS market share by research firm Yole Development, Sony's CMOS market share fell by 2% in 2020.

According to Yole Development statistics, in 2020, Sony's CMOS market share was 40%, still the first. Samsung ranked second with 22%, and OmniVision ranked third with 12%. The following 4 to 10 are STMicroelectronics, GalaxyCore, ON Semiconductor, SK Hynix, Panasonic, SmartSens and Canon.

According to statistics, Sony's revenue in 2020 was the same as in 2019, but Samsung's sales increased by 13% year-on-year, causing Sony's market share to decline by 2% year-on-year.

Before 2018, Samsung's market share was below 20%, but in recent years Samsung has increased its pace of catching up with Sony. From July to September 2020, Samsung's CIS global market share has increased to 21.4%, still lagging behind Sony's 44.2%.

South Korean media JoongAng Ilbo previously reported that due to the expansion of the 5G smartphone, self-driving car and robot markets, the demand for CIS, which plays the role of the "eyes" of related products, has increased sharply. Samsung Electronics plans to convert a DRAM plant into a CIS production line this year, thereby increasing CIS production by about 20% compared to the current level. The semiconductor industry believes that Samsung's move is to catch up with Sony, the world's leading CIS manufacturer, and to compete with Sony.

Sony has also invested 100 billion yen to build a new CIS production line in Nagasaki Prefecture, with the goal of completing it in 2021, when the monthly output will increase to 138,000 pieces. Sony aims to increase its global CIS market share to 60% by the end of 2025.