SONY MICROELECTRONICS

Sony Microelectronics, Sony's first semiconductor manufacturing facility outside Japan, settled in San Antonio in April of 1990, after acquiring a 50-acre site from an existing microelectronics firm. Since then, Sony Semiconductor Company of America has committed millions of dollars to improving the technology and products created at the San Antonio site.

Sony renovated the former Advanced Micro Devices facility to accommodate increased production, and constructed a semiconductor wafer fabrication area that uses complementary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) technology.

In 1994, Sony implemented a six-year, $260 million plan to expand and upgrade its CMOS fabrication unit and equipment to meet the burgeoning demand for higher-end computer chips. Sony Semiconductor Company of America is also a community service leader in San Antonio. The company's Community Involvement Council donates equipment and funds to agencies and educational institutions, and, working in conjunction with the Alamo Community College District, Sony established a Semiconductor Technology Education Program at Northwest Vista College.

With the increasing demand for sophisticated electronics, Sony Semiconductor Company of America is a major player in the production of communications, computing, and consumer electronics products. It is Sony's commitment to improved technology and manufacturing methods that will maintain the company's competitive edge well into the 21st century.