News: Optoelectronics
20 April 2026
AOI adding manufacturing capacity in Houston area
Applied Optoelectronics Inc (AOI) of Sugar Land, TX, USA (a designer and manufacturer of optical and hybrid fibre-coaxial networking products for AI data centers, cable TV and broadband fiber access networks) plans to expand its Houston-area footprint through the addition of two adjacent buildings in Pearland, Texas, adding about 388,000ft2 of manufacturing capacity.
The expansion builds on AOI’s existing US operations, which include a 210,000ft2 manufacturing facility currently under development near its Sugar Land headquarters, where the firm operates 135,000ft2 of capacity, as well as a recently leased 154,000ft2 building at Blue Ridge Commerce Center.
“The demand for optical connectivity in data centers has exceeded our expectations,” says founder, chairman & CEO Dr Thompson Lin. “We are focused on ensuring every critical function — from supply chain and manufacturing capacity to quality, reliability and customer support — is positioned to scale rapidly to meet this demand. With the acquisition of these properties, we will have the footprint to expand our capacity to produce up to 700,000 units of 800G and 1.6T transceivers per month in the Houston area, while also expanding our laser fabrication capacity by around 350% by the end of 2027,” he adds.
“This expansion is aligned with the 2027 capacity targets we outlined on our most recent earnings call and represents the next step in our strategy to become the premier high-volume US producer of AI-focused data-center transceivers and optics,” says chief financial officer & chief strategy officer Dr Stefan Murry. “By expanding our footprint now, we are ensuring we can meet accelerating customer demand and support the next wave of AI infrastructure deployments.”
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