Sony to Invest 371 Million Dollars to Making Better Laptop Batteries

Quad-core processors, 7200RPM hard drives, faster graphic solutions, and an increasing amount of technical doodads both internal and external all take their toll on a notebook's battery life. To combat this, Sony says it will spend about 40 billion yen (that's $371 million USD for us sitting stateside) toward strengthening its lithium ion battery production operations, representing the first phase of investment in lithium ion batteries the company will take as part of a three year effort to reinforce core areas of its component and semiconductor business.

The money will go towards both new production facilities and to enhance existing lines at Sony's Motomiya Technology Center and Tochiga Technology Center, both of which are used to produce lithium ion batteries. As a result, Sony hopes to almost double its monthly production capacity from the current level of 41 million cells per month to 74 million by fiscal 2010.

Image Credit: Sony