PETALING JAYA: Coherent Corp, a global leader in photonics, opened its new Datacom Research and Development Centre in Gelugor, Penang, yesterday, underscoring the company’s strategic commitment to serving its rapidly growing global markets.
Situated at Menara IJM Land, the Penang R&D Centre joins the company’s expanding network in Malaysia, complementing its larger manufacturing sites in Ipoh, Perak and Perai, Penang, further maximising transceiver supply from Malaysian factories.
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) CEO Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid said the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), introduced in 2024, lays out Malaysia’s plan to strengthen its position in the global semiconductor supply chain.
“One of the NSS’s core priorities is supporting high-value R&D and advanced technologies exactly the kind of work Coherent is doing here in Penang.
“The strategy also aims to deepen Malaysia’s local capabilities in areas like chip packaging, photonics, and silicon technologies, creating the kind of ecosystem that benefits global innovators.”
Sikh Shamsul said as Coherent develops next-generation optical transceiver technologies at this new facility, it stands to gain from the strong pipeline of talent being built through the NSS.
“Mida is committed to supporting Coherent’s journey not only in the past and present, but well into the future.”
Coherent vice-president and managing director Jimmy Ling said: “Coherent Malaysia takes pride in how strategically we are positioned to support the company’s overall growth.
“Our successful establishment over nearly 25 years has played a critical role in strengthening our global value chain through ongoing expansion plans,
and we are confident that our footprint in Penang will spearhead innovation
in advanced photonics technology.”
Meanwhile, vice-president of engineering, Asia R&D Jimmy Wu said: “Penang is an ideal location, thanks to its well-established high-tech industry and a strong pool of technical talent capable of supporting our R&D growth plans.”
The new centre comes equipped with impressive capabilities that put it at the forefront of optical technology, that is, next-generation silicon photonics solutions for optical transceivers; advanced development facilities for 400G, 800G, and 1.6T optical transceiver modules and specialised testing environments for AI and cloud computing applications
This expansion strengthens Coherent’s ability to serve its global markets while creating valuable connections between its manufacturing sites in Ipoh and Perai and its R&D operations in Shanghai.
