Overview
- The Elec reports that Samsung is getting its Austin, Texas fab ready to produce CMOS image sensors for Apple, marking the plant’s first move into camera parts.
- New job postings for mechanical and electrical project managers and technicians reference "hookup" work and cleanroom setup, signaling that equipment installation is imminent.
- The planned sensors use wafer-to-wafer hybrid bonding that stacks three wafers, a design cited for faster readout, lower noise, better low-light performance, reduced power consumption, and higher dynamic range.
- Production could begin around March at the earliest, and outlets say the timing suggests initial use in iPhone 18 Pro models, though Apple has not confirmed details.
- Samsung recently notified Austin officials of roughly $19 billion in facility spending, as the reported deal would diversify Apple’s sourcing beyond Sony and bring part of sensor manufacturing to the United States.