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PENANG- SAXONBURG, Pa., 29 JULY 2025 – Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR), a global leader in photonics, today announced the opening of its new Datacom Research and Development Center in Penang. This expansion underscores the company’s strategic commitment to serving its rapidly growing global markets.

The launching ceremony was officiated by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of InvestPenang, Dato’ Loo Lee Lian (representing the Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow) and attended by the CEO of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Datuk Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid; Chief People Officer, Coherent Corporation, Ms. Grace Lee and as well as other Coherent personnel.

Situated at Menara IJM Land, the Penang R&D Center joins the company’s expanding network in Malaysia, complementing its larger manufacturing sites in Ipoh, Perak and Perai, Penang, further maximizing transceiver supply from Malaysian factories.

Dato’ Loo Lee Lian, CEO of InvestPenang, (representing the Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow) stated, “As global trends continue to shift towards rapid advancements in AI, next-generation connectivity, and digital infrastructure, Penang stands ready to support frontier technologies. The establishment of Coherent Malaysia’s first Datacom R&D Center marks a significant milestone, not only for Coherent, but also for Penang, as we welcome another global technology leader deepening its innovation footprint in our state. This expansion reinforces Penang’s capability in driving innovation across high-tech sectors and reflects our position as a premier hub for R&D and advanced technology excellence.”

MIDA CEO Datuk Shamsul Ibrahim highlighted the strategic alignment between Coherent’s expansion and Malaysia’s semiconductor ambitions, “The National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), introduced in 2024, lays out Malaysia’s plan to strengthen its position in the global semiconductor supply chain. One of the NSS’s core priorities is supporting high-value R&D and advanced technologies — exactly the kind of work Coherent is doing here in Penang. The strategy also aims to deepen Malaysia’s local capabilities in areas like chip packaging, photonics, and silicon technologies, creating the kind of ecosystem that benefits global innovators. As Coherent develops next-generation optical transceiver technologies at this new facility, it stands to gain from the strong pipeline of talent being built through the NSS. MIDA is committed to supporting Coherent’s journey not only in the past and present, but well into the future.”

“Coherent Malaysia takes pride in how strategically we are positioned to support the company’s overall growth. Our successful establishment over nearly 25 years has played a critical role in strengthening our global value chain through ongoing expansion plans, and we are confident that our footprint in Penang will spearhead innovation in advanced photonics technology,” said Jimmy Ling, Vice President and Managing Director of Coherent Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Wu, Vice President of Engineering, Asia R&D expressed, “Penang is an ideal location, thanks to its well-established high-tech industry and a strong pool of technical talent capable of supporting our R&D growth plans.”

The new center comes equipped with impressive capabilities that put it at the forefront of optical technology:

• • Next-generation silicon photonics solutions for optical transceivers
  • Advanced development facilities for 400G, 800G, and 1.6T optical transceiver modules
  • Specialised testing environments for AI and cloud computing applications

This expansion strengthens Coherent’s ability to serve its global markets while creating valuable connections between its manufacturing sites in Ipoh, Perak and Perai, Penang and its R&D operations in Shanghai.

END

About MIDA     
MIDA is the Government’s principal investment promotion and development agency under the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) to oversee and drive investments into the manufacturing and services sectors in Malaysia. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur Sentral, MIDA has 12 regional and 21 overseas offices. MIDA continues to be the strategic partner to businesses in seizing the opportunities arising from the technology revolution of this era. For more information, please visit www.mida.gov.my and follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok and YouTube channel.

About InvestPenang       
InvestPenang is the Penang State Government’s principal agency for the promotion of investment. Its objectives are to develop and sustain Penang’s economy by enhancing and continuously supporting business activities in the State through foreign and local investments, including spawning viable new growth centers. To realise its objectives, InvestPenang also runs initiatives like the SMART Penang Center (providing assistance to SMEs), Penang CAT Center (for talent attraction and retention), and Global Business Services (GBS) Focus Group (promoting and developing digital economy) and Penang Silicon Design @5km+ (establishing a unique and interconnected ecosystem for IC design and technology enterprises). For more information, please visit https://investpenang.gov.my/ and follow InvestPenang’s social media channels: Facebook; LinkedIn; WhatsApp Channel and TikTok.

About Coherent
Coherent is the global photonics leader. We harness photons to drive innovation. Industry leaders in the datacenter, communications, and industrial markets rely on Coherent’s world-leading technology to fuel their own innovation and growth.
Founded in 1971 and operating in more than 20 countries, Coherent brings the industry’s broadest, deepest technology stack; unmatched supply chain resilience; and global scale to help its customers solve their toughest technology challenges. For more information, please visit us at coherent.com.

About Coherent Malaysia
Coherent Malaysia began operations through the incorporation of Finisar Malaysia in 2001, following the acquisition of a 640,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Chemor, Perak. The primary objective of this initial capital investment was to establish an assembly and test site outside the United States, focused on manufacturing optical components, transceivers, and wavelength management equipment. Today, the Ipoh and Perai sites, which are home to over 6,000 employees, are strategically positioned for future growth. They play a critical role in strengthening our global value chain through ongoing expansion plans. These include the design, development, and manufacturing of optoelectronic signal converters (800G), Coherent modules, and reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs). Since our inception, Coherent Malaysia’s total capital investment has reached MYR 1.2 billion. In June 2024, we expanded our manufacturing operations in Perai, while in 2023, we began establishing the Penang R&D Center to spearhead innovation in advanced photonics and precision technologies.

For media enquiries, please contact:

MIDA
Mr. Mohd Mazlan Mokhtar,
Director, Electrical and Electronics Division, MIDA
E: mazlan@mida.gov.my DL: 03

InvestPenang
Elaine Cheah / Arief Ferdaus
Communications & Business Intelligence
T: +604-646 8833
E: elaine@investpenang.gov.my / arief@investpenang.gov.my

Coherent Corp.
Amy Wilson
Manager, Corporate Communications
E: corporate.communications@coherent.com

Coherent Malaysia
Jimmy Ling
Vice President and Managing Director
E: Jimmy.Ling@Coherent.com
T: +60 16-553 3212

Maggie Shi
Engineering Director, Penang R&D
E: Maggie.Shi@Coherent.com
T: +60 11-127 05920

Zaiem Meah
HR Director
E: Zaiem.Meah@coherent.com
T: +60 16-400 9755