LED lighting manufacturer Soraa, Fremont, Calif., will open a new semiconductor fabrication plant in Syracuse, N.Y. In what the company described as a partnership with the State of New York, Soraa will construct a new LED fabrication facility that will employ hundreds of workers and provide a billion-dollar revenue stream making the company’s GaN-on-GaN lighting products.
Soraa will work in coordination with SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) on research and development. The Syracuse facility is expected to begin production in the second half of 2016.
Soraa had announced in late 2013 that it would expand manufacturing operations to the Riverbend Commerce Park in Buffalo, N.Y., and would share space with solar module manufacturer Silevo. Following the acquisition of Silevo by SolarCity, which sought to expand its operations at the facility, Soraa had to seek other options.
“Following the change with the Riverbend space, we remained focused on finding an optimal solution that worked for the state, Soraa and the talented workers that call upstate New York home,” said Jeff Parker, CEO of Soraa. “We’re back on track with a great location and are targeting to employ at least 300 people to support a revenue stream of over $1 billion once fully functional.”
