Japanese electronics giant Sony Group has opened a new semiconductor fabrication facility at its plant in central Thailand.
Sony is one of several leading chip makers ramping up investment in Southeast Asia on the back of forecasts for stronger global demand.

The new facility will assemble image sensors used for recognizing obstacles in self-driving vehicles. It will also produce chips used in data centers and for virtual reality products.
The factory is on a site where Sony already produces chips for smartphones.
The company says the new facility will create about 2,000 jobs, including for engineers.

Other chipmakers increasing output in Southeast Asia include GlobalFoundries of the US, which is adding to investment in Singapore. And Intel said it has earmarked more than 6.6 billion dollars for further expansion in Malaysia.