新力收購東芝在長崎県生產設備

Recently the NHK News reported the following:

大手電機メーカーの「東芝」は、想定どおりに需要が拡大しなかったゲーム機向けの高性能の半導体生産から撤退し、現在保有する長崎県の生産設備を「ソニー」に売却する方向で交渉を進めていることが明らかになりました。
東芝は、長崎県諌早市の工場で、家庭用ゲーム機「プレイステーション３」向けに高性能の半導体を生産しています。この半導体は、もともとソニーが東芝やＩＢＭと共同開発したもので、情報の処理能力が高いことから、一時は「夢の半導体」とも呼ばれ、おととし、東芝がソニーから生産設備をおよそ９００億円で買収していました。しかし、関係者によりますと、この半導体はゲーム機以外の家電などへの利用が想定したとおりには拡大しなかったことから、東芝はこの半導体の生産からは撤退する方針を固め、生産設備をソニーに売却する方向で交渉を進めているということです。一方、ソニーは、この生産設備を買い戻したうえで、需要が急拡大している高画質のデジタルカメラやスマートフォン向けの半導体の生産に切り替えて、国内での生産体制の増強にあてることにしており、近く双方が合意に達する見通しです。
It was understood that "Toshiba" the major electric appliance manufacturer had withdrawn from high efficiency semi-conductor production for game machines as the demand had not expanded as expected, and it moved towards the direction of a negotiation in which the present production facility at Nagasaki Prefecture would be sold off to "Sony".
Toshiba was producing high efficiency semi-conductors in the factory at Nagasaki Prefecture Isahaya City for family-use game machines "PlayStation 3", at one moment it was called "Dream semi-conductor" for its high ability to process information in which Sony originally jointly developed with Toshiba and IBM. Toshiba had purchased the production facility from Sony for this semi-conductor for about 90 billion yen in the year before last. But according to people who had connection, because the expected expansion into home electrical appliances related production besides for the semi-conductors for game machine was not possible, Toshiba confirmed the policy of withdrawing from the production of semi-conductors, and it was said that this negotiation was in the direction of selling the production facility to Sony. On the other hand, after this production facility was bought back, Sony would switch to the production of semi-conductors for digital cameras and a smart phones of the high-resolution in which demand had rapidly expanded, thus appropriately reinforced the system of production in the country. And it was expected both parties would reach an agreement soon.

It shows that Sony is confident about the future market and will continue invest in the production of high end digital cameras and smart phones.