NEW ARRIVALS

A multibillion-dollar U.S. company that manufactures semiconductors for the likes of Amazon, Facebook and Google is ramping up its presence in the National Capital Region after acquiring a Kanata microchip design fi rm earlier this year.

Marvell said it plans to launch a “signifi cant expansion” of its Canadian footprint that will see it build out its offi ces in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver as it develops cuttingedge semiconductor technology for the cloud, 5G and automotive markets.

“Canada has become a major destination for technology and innovation, with a growing pool of semiconductor talent,” Marvell chief executive Matt Murphy said in a statement. “We are excited to further build our presence in the country and contribute to this growing and thriving community.”

In April 2021, Marvell acquired fellow publicly traded California fi rm Inphi Corp., which manufactures semiconductor components and has a major R&D lab on Legget Drive in the Kanata North tech park. Marvell further boosted its Ottawa presence in January when it acquired semiconductor design fi rm Rianta Solutions, which has two local offi ces also based on Legget Drive.

Rianta’s chief technology offi cer and co-founder, Nizar Rida, has joined Marvell as its vice-president of engineering and Canada country manager. Rida said the two companies were already “very close” – Rianta has been designing components for the California fi rm for nearly a decade – and it made logistical and fi nancial sense for the enterprises to join forces.

“It was a natural extension for us to be part of Marvell,” Rida said. “They know us; we know them. We had multiple (offers) and our staff overwhelmingly voted to join Marvell because we were very comfortable with how we operate with Marvell. Things just felt natural. The integration was almost effortless.”

Rida said he expects Marvell to keep tapping into Ottawa’s experienced tech talent pool while putting its technology through the paces at facilities such as the Area X.O autonomous vehicle test track on Woodroffe Avenue.

“Ottawa has a long history of innovation,” said the former Nortel engineer, who helped launch three startups after leaving the one-time telecom titan – Sybraus Techologies, Galazar Networks and Rianta, all of which were later acquired by major U.S. telecom or semiconductor manufacturers.

“Some of the most advanced technologies that Marvell is looking at is going to be done here at the Ottawa offi ce.”

An Ottawa-based co-working company that made headlines for taking over a chunk of Shopify’s former downtown headquarters is expanding its footprint with a new location in Kanata.

TCC Canada recently opened a 30,000-square-foot facility on the fi fth fl oor of 1000 Innovation Dr. in the heart of the Kanata North tech park. The new location replaces TCC’s previous Kanata digs, which were located in a smaller space just a few hundred metres west at 555 Legget Dr.

TCC owns and operates fi ve coworking spaces in Ottawa and two in Vancouver. The company made a splash last year when it subleased several fl oors in Performance Court at 150 Elgin St. from e-commerce giant Shopify after the software fi rm vacated the downtown offi ce tower following its shift to a remotefi rst work model during the pandemic.

“We really seem to be in our age now, because I think what we offer has become more and more prevalent and appealing to pretty much anyone,” he said.

TCC signed a 10-year lease at the building, which tenants began moving into recently with about 60 per cent of the desks now leased, Cochrane said. The client list includes heavy corporate hitters such as Dell and Westinghouse, and Cochrane said TCC is in the midst of fi nalizing a deal to lease up to 85 desks to one of the world’s biggest tech fi rms.

TCC also hopes to expand its Kanata presence further at a second building that’s tentatively slated to be constructed next to the offi ce at 1000 Innovation Dr. While that project is still on the drawing board, Cochrane said his fi rm is in advanced discussions with landlords in Montreal and Halifax about opening new locations of up to 30,000 square feet in those cities by the end of 2023.