A good many smartphone OEMs rely on third-party companies to provide them with chipsets. Qualcomm is probably one of the biggest players in the market today, although there are other up and coming players from the likes of MediaTek whose chipsets tend to find their way into budget devices.
That being said, it looks like Sony might want to reduce their reliance on companies such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. According to the rumors, word on the street is that Sony wants to develop their own chipsets which would then find their way into the company’s own Xperia series of handsets and tablets.
Assuming that the rumors are true, it would see Sony join the likes of Apple and Samsung, both of whom have developed their own chipsets to use in their own mobile products, as well as Huawei whose Kirin chipsets are starting to gain a bit of traction. However this would require a pretty huge investment from the company.
As it stands Sony’s smartphones aren’t exactly enjoying the same level of popularity compared to Apple and Samsung’s devices, so for them to invest in their own chipset does seem like a massive undertaking, but take it with a grain of salt for now until we get the official confirmation or refutation of the rumors.