Sony said it was withdrawing from joint research with IBM and
Toshiba to develop the manufacturing technology for producing
microchips with circuitry of 32 nanometers or less.
Sony has been moving away from the production of advanced
semiconductors, which involves heavy investment.
The Tokyo-based electronics and entertainment company said
last month it would sell to Toshiba its production facilities
for making the "Cell" microprocessors and "RSX" graphic
chips, both of which are used in its PlayStation 3 game gear.
While it is withdrawing from the joint R&D on technology,
Sony said it would continue to work with Toshiba and IBM on
design work for cutting-edge chips with 32-nanometre or
narrower circuitry.