Rochester will be the new home for two leading photonics companies, bringing a collective $1.6 billion investment and more than 1,400 new high-tech jobs to the region.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that the two companies, Avogy Corp. and Photonica Inc., will be moving operations to Rochester. The development comes after the announcement last summer that Rochester would be home to the $600 million Integrated Photonics Institute for Manufacturing Innovation, located at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Rochester-region facility at Canal Ponds.

The Silicon Valley-based Avogy has developed a smaller and more efficient power electronics technology, products that officials said have “both commercial and industrial uses and include breakthroughs on portable charging devices, in-home power management and future applications in data centers and electric vehicles.”

Photonica, which has business operations around the world, is seen as a leader in next-generation visual and display technologies with applications ranging from virtual reality devices to consumer mobile devices, officials said.

Cuomo called the move a “transformative moment for Rochester” fueling economic growth, creating jobs and securing the regions place as the “photonics capital of the nation.”

"By bringing this proven nanotechnology-driven economic development model to Rochester, we are attracting big businesses and building a thriving 21st century economy,” Cuomo said. “Major investments like this are driving our momentum as we ensure that the economic resurgence continues in Upstate New York."

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