Lumentum plugs quickly into Greensboro facility, production
Lumentum Holdings, a global equipment supplier to large-scale data centers, understands the need for speed when it comes to production volume.
That's why the San Jose, Calif., manufacturer accelerated in five weeks going from spending $18 million to purchase a former Qorvo Inc. semiconductror manufacturing plant in Greensboro to becoming operational.
Lumentum provides optical and photonic equipment and supplies for cloud and networking applications. It has more than 11,000 employees globally.
The manufacturer held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday for its 236,475-square-foot facility at 7098 Piedmont Triad Parkway, where it has pledged to preserve and create more than 400 jobs - many of whom are projected to be former Qorvo employees - and spend more than $600 million on capital investments.
Lumentum said it has hired 150 former Qorvo employees.
Production is expected to ramp up in mid-2028 as the company expands its manufacturing capacity using six-inch indium phosphide wafers to support next-generation AI data center technologies.
A major reason why Lumentum became operational so quickly is that the purchase agreement "includes the transfer of an experienced (Qorvo) workforce, allowing the company to accelerate production ramp-up and scale manufacturing efficiently."
"Greensboro offers the combination of workforce talent, infrastructure and collaborative leadership that enables advanced manufacturers to scale quickly," Lumentum chief executive Michael Hurlston said.
The facility is being retrofitted to manufacture Lumentum's InP-based optical products including continuous wave and ultra-high-power lasers.
"Our customers are building the infrastructure that will define the next era of computing," Hurlston said.
"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."
Lumentum's stock trades on Nasdaq and it joined the S&P 500 index on March 10. Lumentum reported having $1.64 billion in fiscal 2025 revenue, up 231% from 2024.
Another key factor for the Greensboro facility is Lumentum having Nvidia as a customer and strategic research and development collaborator to the tune of a $2 billion investment in Lumentum and a multi-billion-dollar purchase agreement.
Lumentum said it plans to support other leading AI infrastructure customers for their scale-out and scale-up optical requirements through the facility.
The chamber said the Lumentum project will be "further strengthening the region's leadership in advanced manufacturing and next-generation technology."
"As AI workloads scale at an unprecedented pace, secure and reliable access to high-performance optical components is critical," said Debora Shoquist, executive vice president of operations at Nvidia.
"Lumentum's investment in expanded U.S. manufacturing capacity strengthens supply continuity and positions us to meet growing infrastructure demands with confidence."
Among the new positions for Lumentum will be fabrication process and equipment engineers, manufacturing technicians, operations professionals, supply chain specialists, quality engineers, and corporate functions, including IT, human resources and finance.
"Having a strong semiconductor presence and a skilled workforce allows us to deliver the talent that industry leaders like Lumentum need to fulfill their expansion goals for serving the rapidly growing advanced AI market," state Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley said.
Greensboro Mayor Marikay Abuzuaiter said Lumentum's plant decision "signals that our city is competing and winning in the industries shaping the future of the global economy."
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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 9:38 AM.