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First Sensor Expands Its Footprint in Japanese Photonics Market

- Avalanche photodiodes supplied to optics group

- Delegation travels to Japan with Governing Mayor of Berlin

On the occasion of the 25^th anniversary of the partnership between Berlin and Tokyo, roughly 30 companies, including BMW, ALBA, and the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, are accompanying the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller, and his delegation on their trip to Japan this week. First Sensor AG, a developer and manufacturer of standard products and customer-specific sensor solutions in the growth market of sensor technology, is taking this visit as an opportunity to expand its presence in the Japanese market for photonics products and has announced its intention to expand its cooperation with an optics group in the field of length measurement. The supply with avalanche photodiodes is to be increased more than threefold in the current fiscal year. The optical sensors are used in devices for measuring distances.

"In addition to our existing business in the field of pressure, we will work with the customer to expand our footprint in Japan successively in line with the strategy for profitable growth. In this context, we are benefitting from LiDAR as a growth driver for applications in the industrial and mobility target markets as well as the associated increased demand for sensitive avalanche photodiodes," explains Dr. Dirk Rothweiler, CEO of First Sensor AG. Research company Mordor Intelligence China is expecting an average market growth of 7.7% for sensor technology products in Japan by 2026. "We are expecting additional impetus from the new free trade agreement between the EU and Japan and intend to take the delegation's visit as an opportunity to have more in-depth conversations with Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Electric. Our aim is to expand our business in Asia not just via distributors, but to acquire key customers in a targeted fashion," Rothweiler adds.

In order to reflect the increased demand in the area of photonics in production, First Sensor is switching its semiconductor production from four-inch to six-inch optical sensor chips at the Berlin-Oberschöneweide location. In doing so, the company is also preparing the volume production of avalanche photodiodes to implement the automotive future. Equipped with an integrated amplification mechanism, the optical sensors, for example in LiDAR scanners, detect invisible light signals that are used to create a 3D image of the vehicle's surroundings. This way, LiDAR technology aims to enable autonomous driving together with radar and networked camera systems. Self-driving cars are still in the pilot phase, but forecasts predict that as many as 54 million of these vehicles could be on the road by 2035.

About First Sensor AG
Founded as a technology start-up in the early 1990s, today, First Sensor is a global player in sensor technology. Based on our know-how in chip design and production as well as microelectronic packaging, standard sensors and customer-specific sensor solutions are developed in the fields of photonics, pressure and advanced electronics for the ever-growing demand in key applications for the target markets of Industrial, Medical and Mobility. The strategy is aimed at profitable growth and focuses on key customers and products, forward integration and strengthening our international presence. First Sensor has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 1999 [Prime Standard Ι WKN: 720190 Ι ISIN DE0007201907 Ι SIS]. Further information: www.first-sensor.com.

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Statements in this report relating to future developments are based on a prudent estimate of future events. Actual events of the company may deviate significantly from planned events, as they depend on a large number of market and economic factors, some of which are outside of the company's control.

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