$200M Tech Company HQ Opens
KLA Corp.’s new facility is its second U.S. headquarters.
John McLaughlin (KLA), Jeneanne Hanley (KLA Board), Rick Wallace (KLA), Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Diane O’Connell (Ann Arbor Township) perform the ribbon cutting of KLA’s new campus. Image courtesy of KLA Corp.
KLA Corp. has expanded operations to its second headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich., to meet the growing global customer demand for semiconductors.
The company’s latest headquarters was announced in 2018 and broke ground in October 2019. The $200 million Ann Arbor project was built in partnership with the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund. KLA also tapped local construction company Barton Malow and architectural firm SmithGroup.
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The 230,000-square-foot facility was built with a green roof, an atrium, a cafeteria, a coffee shop, a fitness center, a nearby woodland trail and electric vehicle charging stations. According to KLA, the six-story building will be home to a locally based leadership team and more than 300 employees. KLA is also planning to secure an additional 300 hires for the new campus in the next 12 to 18 months.
AI Center of Excellence at KLA’s new campus in Ann Arbor, Mich. Image courtesy of KLA Corp.
KLA’s new headquarters includes an AI Center of Excellence, where the company will use machine learning applications to improve the manufacturing of semiconductors. The campus will also have a 51,000-square-foot clean room that will be used to support the research and development of KLA’s semiconductor manufacturing tools. The company will also use the Ann Arbor location for supply chain, procurement, IT, finance, legal and HR needs.
Rick Wallace, KLA’s president & CEO, said in prepared remarks that the Ann Arbor headquarters will serve a critical role in addressing the growing customer demand. The new campus will join KLA’s original headquarters in Milpitas, Calif.
Electronics manufacturing
Several electronics manufacturing companies have recently opted to expand operations in Michigan. In 2017, two battery manufacturing companies announced plans to build new facilities. A123 Systems launched a $40 million headquarters project in Novi, Mich., while Camel Energy invested $4.6 million into a research and development center in Pittsfield, Mich.
As for the semiconductor sector, the recent shortages have led to manufacturing companies looking into the Phoenix metro as a way to bolster operations. Industry leader Intel broke ground on two chip factories in Chandler, Ariz., in September.
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