Sugar Land: TI opens 160,000-SF R&D center

SUGAR LAND – Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has opened a new 160,000-sf research and development center. The seven-acre site at the northeast corner of US 59 and University Blvd. will house 375 employees to work in TI’s embedded processing business.

The staff relocated from TI’s 45-year-old silicon wafer factory about five miles away in Stafford that was shut down last year.

The new building includes an Innovation Center showcasing TI’s latest technology, collaboration spaces, an employee courtyard, a fitness center, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, and a walking path around the building.

In late 2012, the City of Sugar Land approved an incentive package for TI: 50 percent tax abatement for ten years based on the company’s $35 million investment and creation of 375 jobs.

TI makes semiconductor chips used in a variety of electrical and electronic products. Embedded processors and related software are used in a number of innovative applications — from smart thermostats to medical imaging to automotive navigation systems.