Sony has initiated the process of exiting its charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor and camera business. As is usual in this kind of matter, Sony is currently discussing the move with its main customers and distributors, with a preliminary schedule being 2017, with progressive phase out until 2020.
The timing might not be yet definitive as discussions are ongoing. One thing is certain: this is the beginning of the end for Sony CCDs. This should not astonish anyone in the industry. Those who have been around long enough have witnessed the end of tube technology and then transitions between different CCD technology nodes. Yole Développement, the market research and strategy consulting company, recently covered those transitions in its latest report, ‘Status of the CMOS image industry, 2015 edition’.
For the full version of the article, please visit the IMV Europe website.
