STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) -- SemiSouth Laboratories, a semiconductor company closely linked to Mississippi State University, is closing.
The company, which makes silicon carbide semiconductors, will lay off its 90 employees, reports the Starkville Daily News. No closing date has been announced.
MSU research Vice President David Shaw said Friday that the school will seek to retain affected employees. SemiSouth was founded in 2001 by former MSU professor Jeffrey Casady and current MSU professor Michael Mazzola. It has been highlighted as one of Mississippi's only homegrown technology firms.
SemiSouth leases space in MSU's research park for $300,000 annually. A MSU-associated nonprofit holds the rights to some of the technology the company uses, giving MSU a 2 percent ownership stake.
SemiSouth made power converters, computing and network power suppliers, battery chargers and other components.
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