Will Sony PlayStation 3 dry up supply of blue laser diodes for Blu-ray?

Chengdu (Taiwan) - The Chinese-language Commercial Times has reported, and DigiTimes has backed up, that Lite-On IT, which produces Blu-ray disc burners under the BenQ brand as well as its own, expressed concerns as to whether Sony, the principal supplier of blue-laser diodes for Blu-ray components, will be able to produce enough diodes to meet demand from it and other suppliers.

The paper was reportedly told that Sony has indicated it is allocating a large number of the diodes it’s producing for use in its upcoming PlayStation 3 game console, due for release this November. After the huge initial order of PS3 components is met, Sony may not have enough diodes on hand to meet orders from suppliers like Lite-On IT, not to mention Philips and Pioneer Electronics, the paper stated.

, BenQ has plans to introduce its first BW1000 Blu-ray burner component for PCs next month. Lite-On IT, which now manufactures this component for BenQ, reportedly reached a strategic alliance agreement with Sony in September 2003, with the intention of co-developing chipsets and other parts for optical storage devices.