Another company may be ditching Silicon Valley for Silicon Hills. The latest is a semiconductor startup that says it’s beginning to invest in Austin.
Fab2, formerly known as Atomic Semi, said in new state filings that it is planning to spend $3.9 million building out office space in a Southeast Austin building. The development comes after a company official earlier suggested Fab2 is moving its headquarters and would begin manufacturing operations in Austin.
The company was co-founded by longtime tech executive and engineer Jim Keller, who formerly led engineering departments at Apple, AMD, Intel and Tesla’s Autopilot systems. He is now CEO of Canadian hardware manufacturing firm Tenstorrent Inc.
Neither the company nor its executives responded to requests for comment, but at least some statements in social media statements and the company website do not appear to be supported by fact.
According to filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Fab2 is converting a warehouse off East Stassney Lane into offices and research-and-development space. The first phase of renovations, which will build out about 6,000 square feet of the warehouse, is expected to be completed next month. Construction on the second phase, which will renovate about 7,555 square feet, is expected to be done by February.
In April, Sam Zeloof, the company’s co-founder and CEO, said on social media the company would move into a roughly 120,000-square-foot space for a dual headquarters and chip plant. There are no public filings tied to Fab2 for a space fitting that description, though. The warehouse at 6301 E. Stassney Lane is significantly smaller.
Though the possible location of a large chip fabrication plant remains unclear, Zeloof has continued to post project updates about the site on social media.
Carlos Soto, a spokesperson for Austin’s economic development office, said the city has had no conversations and has no knowledge of such a facility in the city.
Fab2 also says it has a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing site in Lockhart, about 30 miles south of Austin. Holly Malish, director of the Lockhart Economic Development Corp., said the company “is not located in Lockhart” and her office has had no contact with it. Caldwell County officials also said it had no record of Fab2 operating in the area.
If Fab2 is investing, it would add to the growing semiconductor industry in the Austin area. The region is home to about 180 companies in semiconductor-related industries that collectively employ about 60,000 people, according to Opportunity Austin data.
The University of Texas at Austin recently announced its leadership in a 10-state plan to fill nearly 30,000 semiconductor jobs within the next few years.