Sony to Expand Autonomous Driving-Related Biz

May 24, 2018

Tokyo- Sony Corp. plans to strengthen operations related to autonomous vehicle driving, President and Chief Executive Officer Kenichiro Yoshida said Wednesday.

In its medium-term business plan released on Tuesday, the Japanese electronics company said it aims to become the world's top maker of CMOS image sensors for use in self-driving vehicles.

In Wednesday's media interview, Yoshida said his company will also strengthen other automotive businesses, including autonomous driving-related products and services using artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies.

"We have to move forward even in areas where results are unlikely to come out during my tenure," Yoshida said.

In February, Sony announced a tie-up with six taxi operators in Japan to develop technologies to make taxi dispatches effective.

Yoshida said that through the collaboration with the taxi operators, Sony aims to collect data for developing autonomous driving technologies.

Referring to struggling smartphone operations, Yoshida said Sony plans to improve its products, mainly their camera functions, after fiscal 2019 to boost sales.

Sony has no plan to sell its smartphone business, he said.

The coming fifth generation of mobile communications may affect various products, Yoshida said. Jiji Press