Industry News

FASL LLC, a company merging the flash memory operations of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Fujitsu, is planning to build a chipmaking plant in Sunnyvale, Calif. AMD's Fab 25 plant in Austin, which manufactures only flash memory chips, will also become part of FASL.  

Biotech company ZymoGenetics broke ground in early April 2003 on a 70,000-sf addition to its Seattle complex, bringing the company's presence up to 228,000sf. Designed by MBT Architecture, the $26-million project is designed for future growth and will house laboratories and offices. The four-story facility is slated for completion in May 2004 and is being built by Turner Construction.

Global defense contractor Northrop Grumman is constructing two new Florida facilities to support a Navy contract for additional aircraft. A $2.5-million office facility is under construction at the company's St. Augustine site. The 45,000-sf building will house administrative support services, human resources, and members of the federal Defense Contract Management Agency, which monitors aircraft performance, production, and delivery. The second planned facility will house a customer training center and a cafeteria.

Memec Group, a global distributor of semiconductor equipment, has relocated its corporate headquarters to Carmel Valley in San Diego. Previously sited outside of London, Memec Group has leased 92,000 sf in a new 115,000-sf facility, one of five previously occupied by Peregrine Systems.

North Carolina State University is engaged in constructing the $65-million University Apartments project in Raleigh. Consisting of 460,000 sf in eight buildings and a chiller plant, the development is designed by architect Hanbury Evans Newill Vlattas & Co. Centex is the construction manager. Engineers on the project team include Stewart Engineering (civil and structural) and RMF Engineering (MEP).