Sony NEC Optiarc, a joint venture between Sony and NEC expects to become the world's largest supplier of ODD products by the end of 2007, according to the Kyotaro Imamura, general manager of the Computer Peripherals & Optical Media Devices Division of Sony Taiwan. Sony NEC Optiarc has already begun shipments of optical disc drives (ODDs) for use in IT products and game consoles as well as audio/video optical disc devices.

The company began operations in April of this year and is able to provide customers with complete solutions which include Sony's optical pick-up heads and NEC's DSP (digital signal processor) chipsets as well as economical OEM/ODM production by Taiwan-based partners, Imamura pointed out. In addition, Sony and NEC are each leading names in IT, audio/video consumer electronics and game console products, Imamura said.

Sony NEC Optiarc is also competitive in blue-laser technology, since Sony is a leading member of the Blu-ray Disc (BD) Association while NEC is one of the two initiators of the HD DVD format, said Imamura. In light of the stalemate between BD and HD DVD, Sony NEC Optiarc has adopted a "never give up ODD" attitude, an operational policy in line with its goal of becoming one of the world's largest supplier of such devices, Imamura noted.