Shawmut Design and Construction has joined Draper and Wexford Science & Technology to break ground on the 111,000-square-foot Integrated Microelectronics Production & Advanced Chip Technology (IMPACT) Center in Lowell, Massachusetts. Scheduled to open in 2029, the facility will expand domestic semiconductor production and advanced chip packaging capabilities while creating more than 100 highly skilled jobs.
Located in the Hamilton Canal Innovation District, the IMPACT Center will feature specialized microelectronics design, production and packaging facilities supporting technologies critical to national defense. The project is a key component of the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor (LINC), an initiative connecting UMass Lowell with industry partners to advance research, workforce development and economic growth.
“Microelectronics production leaves almost no margin for error, and the facilities that support it have to meet an equally exacting standard,” says Kevin Sullivan, EVP of Shawmut Design and Construction’s New England Region. “The IMPACT Center is being built to support the highly specialized infrastructure and controlled environments this work requires, while providing the flexibility and performance needed from day one.”
The facility will support high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, with capabilities spanning microelectronics design through field-ready systems, including advanced precision navigation and timing technologies. State and local funding will help support construction as part of a broader effort to strengthen Massachusetts’ defense industrial base and domestic semiconductor supply chain.
Draper President and CEO Jerry M. Wohletz says the investment will expand the company’s ability to develop and deploy critical technologies domestically while creating career opportunities for Lowell residents and UMass Lowell graduates.
The project brings together Wexford Science & Technology as real estate developer, alongside GMH Communities and First Atlantic. Shawmut Design and Construction and Burns & McDonnell are supporting the development team.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey joined state and local officials, university leaders and project partners for the groundbreaking ceremony.
As an anchor tenant within LINC, Draper will use the new center to strengthen connections between advanced manufacturing, academic research and workforce development while expanding Lowell’s role in the nation’s growing microelectronics industry.
