MARCH 16, 2023 (RICHARDSON, TX) –– Yesterday, Congressman Colin Allred (TX-32) visited Richardson-based semiconductor manufacturer Photodigm. Allred toured their headquarters and discussed the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which he helped pass, and the need to invest in semiconductor chip manufacturing, growing businesses like Photodigm and creating jobs across Texas.
“North Texas has always been a leader in producing the semiconductor chips that power our lives and protect our national security and I was glad to see that in action yesterday at Photodigm,” said Allred. “I was proud to help pass the CHIPs Act to help North Texas companies like Photodigm expand, create jobs, help shore up our supply chains and ensure we can compete with China for decades to come.”
“We were incredibly honored and grateful to have Congressman Colin Allred visit Photodigm,” said Bill Stuart, CEO of Photodigm. “It’s clear that he understands the crucial importance of our innovative semiconductor chip technology and is incredibly quick to grasp the real-world challenges companies like ours face as we scale production of our leading-edge photonic chips to meet customer demand.”
The CHIPS Act, which was signed into law last year, is a bipartisan legislative package that will create jobs and lower costs for North Texans by investing in American manufacturing, research and supply chains. Allred was a leader in the House calling for the bill’s passage which will bolster the production of semiconductors in Texas and strengthen our national security.
About Photodigm: As a semiconductor manufacturer of laser chips, Photodigm is the global technology leader in the design, testing, and manufacturing of single-frequency Distributed Bragg Reflector (DBR) laser diodes which are essential to quantum, biomedical, sensing, environmental, and defense technologies. The company was originally founded in 2000 as a spinoff from a university photonics lab and as technology and processes advanced through the years, Photodigm’s team of researchers and chief technologists created over 45 patents. Photodigm is one hundred percent U.S.-based and headquartered in Richardson, Texas.
Photodigm would use CHIPS Act funding to acquire U.S.-based land to build a new uniquely designed high-scale semiconductor fabrication facility, acquire specialty equipment to increase production and yield, and hire and train a skilled workforce to operate the equipment. This would ensure that a key element to multiple technology requirements would be available to the United States Department of Defense and related private sector solutions.