Cypress Goes for Niche CIS Markets

Digitimes: Competition among leading vendors weakened ASPs and gross margins in the major image sensor markets of digital cameras and handsets, motivating Cypress to focus on niche segments.

The two key categories in Cypress' CMOS image sensor lineup are customized image sensors and fast sensors. Cypress indicated that customers pay an average of US$1 million for the first phase of placing custom CMOS image sensor orders and additional payment has to be made when products are available for sale.

Under the two main categories, Cypress has also introduced CMOS image sensors with high resolutions. This type of CMOS image sensor focuses on resolution but not product size. The company currently has a CMOS image sensor that supports 14MP resolution.