The earthquake, which registered the maximum level of 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, dealt a heavy blow to the semiconductor industry, including Sony. However, the two companies decided to proceed with the major investment in anticipation of growing demand driven by artificial intelligence. Sony’s semiconductor unit and TSMC signed a legally binding definitive agreement on the joint venture on Tuesday. In May, Sony’s semiconductor unit and TSMC announced that they had agreed to cooperate on the development and production of next-generation image sensors. Sony is the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer by value.