DUBLIN, Calif.—Zeiss announced yesterday that it has completed construction of its new R&D, production, sales and customer service site in the San Francisco Bay area. Bringing together hundreds of Zeiss employees and key functions under one roof represents a major milestone in the company’s international innovation and growth strategy, the company said in a statement. “The new Zeiss Innovation Center harnesses our technological, research and customer services strengths in one of the world’s premier technology innovation locations,” said Dr. Christian Muller, chief financial officer of the Zeiss Group.

“This long-term commitment to the Bay Area and the North American market, strongly supports the development of exciting innovations that benefit our global customers, alongside new collaboration opportunities with our partners across academia, industry and local communities.

Zeiss said the $180 million investment in the new high-tech site in Dublin, a fast-growing city near San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, is “an integral part of the Zeiss global strategy to expand its presence close to research centers and growth markets. The Zeiss Innovation Center’s R&D efforts will increasingly focus on digital solutions and scientific and industry partnerships spanning disciplines and technologies—key drivers behind the company’s decision to locate the Center in the Bay Area.”

The Zeiss Innovation Center houses customer experience and demonstration centers showcasing recent Zeiss innovations, as well as research laboratories, service and production facilities. With engineers, researchers, and sales and service teams from across Zeiss located on the same premises, global customers and partners will be able to more fully benefit from Zeiss’ expertise.

The Center also serves as the U.S. headquarters for the Zeiss medical technology business, bundled under the Frankfurt-listed company Carl Zeiss Meditec AG in which Zeiss holds the majority. The medical technology business focuses on solutions for ophthalmology and microsurgery.

“We are excited to have our new Medical Technology U.S. Headquarters located in the Bay Area, which serves as a global center for high technology and digital innovation,” said Euan S. Thomson, PhD, chairman and CEO for Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc. "This investment demonstrates our commitment to the development of advanced technologies, creating a visible sign of Zeiss’ commitment to improving the quality of life of patients and driving progress, efficiency and access to health care.”

The new site also brings together the X-Ray Microscopy business and the Zeiss Microscopy Customer Center, strengthening initiatives to realize growing market and R&D opportunities in materials research, life sciences and industrial applications. The co-location of the microscopy and ophthalmology businesses offers additional collaborative opportunities, particularly in image processing, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The Zeiss Process Control Solutions activities for the Zeiss Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology segment is also based at the Center.

Zeiss has been expanding and modernizing sites in the U.S., Germany, Europe and Asia in recent years to fully leverage the potential of those markets. In January 2020, Zeiss began operating the Zeiss Innovation Hub at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Karlsruhe, Germany. The Innovation Hub promotes scientific and technology collaborations and start-up ventures. An additional high-tech site is under construction in Jena, Germany.