Texas-based semiconductor company Strike Photonics is expanding to Tucson with plans for a new design and product development hub in the University of Arizona Tech Park.
Strike Photonics leased 800 square feet in the UA Tech Park for "product development and customer-facing activity," Tim Kalthoff, vice president of product development for Strike Photonics, told the Business Journal Aug. 31.
Strike Photonics, headquartered in Allen, north of Dallas, develops next-generation photonic chips for use in biotechnology, electronic defense, communications and optical computing sectors.
"We need diverse locations to employ the talent that can support our mission," Kalthoff said. "Tucson and Arizona’s rich history in both analog semiconductors and optical sciences make it an obvious choice for expansion. Further, several of our key customers that can take advantage of our products are in Arizona."
The expansion to Arizona was a strategic move that positions the company closer to potential clients and graduates of University of Arizona’s Wyant College of Optical Sciences, officials said.
“As a nexus of innovation, the UA Tech Park served as the perfect location where we can converge with like-minded innovators and form new business connections,” Todd Doshier, CEO of Strike Photonics, added in a statement.” The park's infrastructure provides the robust foundation necessary for ongoing expansion with the flexibility to take more space as we grow."
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Three employees are currently working at Strike Photonics' Tucson hub, which will also serve as an office for visitors from the company's Texas headquarters. Strike Photonics plans to take advantage of lab space and grow over time at the UA Tech Park. It will continue to manufacture products at its Texas headquarters, Kalthoff said.
UA Tech Park now home to more than 100 companies
Strike Photonics joins more than 100 companies — including IBM, Raytheon and Applied Energetic — in the UA Tech Park campus, which consists of 2 million square feet of office, laboratory and production space. The UA Tech Park is directed by Tech Parks Arizona, which connects the university, community and industry to spur innovation and collaboration.
“By harnessing the synergy between the company’s expertise and the demands of industry, Strike Photonics is poised to enable rapid technological growth in these crucial sectors,” Carol Stewart, vice president for Tech Parks Arizona, University of Arizona, said in a statement. "We are excited they chose to establish their presence in Arizona and are looking forward to supporting their success.”
Strike Photonics, founded in 2020, is the most recent semiconductor-related company to announce an expansion to Arizona.
Earlier this month, ASM America Inc., the Phoenix-based U.S. arm of an international semiconductor equipment supplier, bought nearly 24 acres for more than $33 million in north Scottsdale for "research, development and support activities," the Business Journal reported.
Fremont, California-based semiconductor equipment manufacturer Yield Engineering Systems opened an advanced technology center in Chandler in July and is planning to hire 100 workers to staff it by the end of the year.
Separately, the UA Tech Park recently announced five new executive appointments to its board of directors:
- Monica Vargas-Mahar, market CEO of Carondelet Health Network and CEO of Phoenix-based St. Joseph's Hospital
- Glenn Williamson, CEO of the Canada Arizona Business Council
- Cecilia Mata, who is serving an eight-year term on the Arizona Board of Regents currently chair elect of ABOR, chair of the University Governance and Operations Committee, and a member of the Strategic Initiatives and Planning Committee.
- Stacey Lemos, assistant vice president and comptroller for financial services for UArizona.
- Elliott Cheu, interim senior vice president of research and innovation for UArizona and associate vice president for University Research Institutes.
