Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) said it plans to open a manufacturing facility in Greensboro, North Carolina, focused on producing indium phosphide-based optical components used in artificial intelligence data centers.
The company has acquired a 240,000-square-foot site from semiconductor firm Qorvo. The facility is already operational and will be upgraded to manufacture continuous-wave and ultra-high-power lasers using 6-inch indium phosphide (InP) wafers. Production at the site is expected to begin scaling up in mid-2028.
NVIDIA is expected to be among the customers supplied by the facility under previously announced strategic agreements with Lumentum. As part of the transaction, a portion of the experienced workforce from the previous operation will transition to the new facility.
Lumentum said it intends to invest several hundred million dollars over the coming years to expand manufacturing capacity at the site. The company expects the project to retain and create more than 400 manufacturing positions, including roles in fabrication process engineering, production technicians, operations, supply chain management and quality assurance.
“Our customers are building the infrastructure that will define the next era of computing,” said Michael Hurlston, Chief Executive Officer of Lumentum. “Adding this new InP manufacturing facility significantly expands our capacity, deepens our strategic partnerships, and ensures we can deliver the performance, reliability, and scale required for the AI revolution.”
The new plant will strengthen Lumentum’s U.S.-based manufacturing footprint for optical components used in cloud computing and AI network infrastructure. The project is being supported by state and local economic development initiatives.
Lumentum, headquartered in San Jose, California, develops optical and photonic technologies used in data center connectivity, telecommunications networks and industrial markets, with research, production and sales operations located around the world.