Kopin Corporation, a provider of application-specific optical systems and microdisplays, announced plans to relocate its headquarters in Westborough, Mass. The project will move the company's headquarters functions to 75 North Drive, creating additional space at its existing 125 North Drive facility for manufacturing expansion and future production programs.
Kopin anticipates the project will create up to 80 jobs over the next five years, with new roles to span engineering, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor processing and other business functions.
The development looks to strengthen domestic manufacturing of MicroLED and optical technologies that address two growing needs: advanced displays for next-generation defense systems and more energy-efficient data connections for AI infrastructure.
“MicroLED is opening new possibilities in how soldiers and pilots see critical information and how AI systems move data,” Kopin CEO Michael Murray said. “Realizing that potential requires sustained investment in engineering talent, equipment and domestic manufacturing capacity. The Commonwealth’s support helps us build that capacity in Massachusetts, where Kopin has been innovating for more than 40 years.”
The expansion will support Kopin’s work to apply its MicroLED expertise across advanced defense displays and AI infrastructure. These programs include color MicroLED displays for next-generation soldier and pilot systems and Neural I/o, an optical interconnect technology that uses MicroLEDs to transmit data through light. Neural I/o is designed to reduce the energy required to move data between AI processors, addressing a central challenge in scaling AI infrastructure.
The project will receive a $1.46 million Investment Tax Credit through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Economic Development Incentive Program (EDIP), administered by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development, and an $800,000 grant through the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2). The tax credit will support facility and workforce investments, while the grant will fund advanced manufacturing equipment to expand domestic production of MicroLED technology and Neural I/o.
This investment builds on Kopin’s work advancing domestic manufacturing, including an additional $18.6 million award from the Pentagon under the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program to advance color MicroLED technology for next-generation soldier and pilot systems, bringing its total government funding under the program to $34 million.
Kopin will implement the headquarters expansion in phases, with facility improvements, equipment installation and operational growth aligned with the company's long-term business strategy.
