Applied Optoelectronics announces expansion in City of Sugar Land

The City of Sugar Land, together with Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI), announced that AOI is expanding its operations by onshoring part of its international manufacturing to Sugar Land. The expansion is part of a 10-year agreement facilitated by the City of Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and supported by a $2 million incentive package from the city, with assistance from Fort Bend County. The expansion includes the addition of a new manufacturing line to AOI’s existing headquarters, and a new 210,000 square foot facility for manufacturing innovative optical transceivers for AI-focused data centers, expected to be operational by summer of 2026. With this expansion, AOI is making a capital investment of over $150 million and will create over 500 new jobs in Sugar Land over the next five years, spanning advanced engineering, product management, distribution operations, customer experience and finance, among others.