Sony Group is focusing on its image sensor technology as it aims to arrest its sliding market share and ward off international rivals.

“We’re conducting R&D feeling an intense threat”, President Terushi Shimizu of Sony Semiconductor Solutions said to reporters late last week, as it showcased its new Octa PD chip unit.

The technology fixes an all-too-common problem in photography, allowing a backlit photo to focus on both the faces of multiple subjects in the forefront, as well as a landmark in the background.

Sony needs to claw back its dominance in the market.

The biggest blow came from what Sony calls “the Huawei shock”, after sanctions meant it lost the Chinese company as a major client. This saw its global market share drop from 53 per cent in FY19 to just 43 per cent in FY21.

In addition, Samsung has made bounds, capturing 18.5 per cent in the market. This is likely to rise further, given Apple are using Samsung sensors in their new products, with their alliance strengthening.

Sony is targeting a market share of 60 per cent by 2025, by expanding its main image sensor plant in Nagasaki, and focusing the majority of its FY22 budget on semiconductors, with an increase of 35 per cent of spending in this area.