DURHAM, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Phononic, the company that is breaking the boundaries of semiconductor innovation to deliver cooling solutions with unprecedented performance and sustainability, today announced that it has strengthened its investment in the optoelectronics market through the appointment of Kevin Granucci as general manager and vice president of sales for its optoelectronics vertical. Granucci brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role at Phononic, where he will be focused on accelerating Phononic’s penetration into the growing optoelectronics market and driving the global adoption of its application-specific thermoelectric solutions. Granucci will be based in San Jose, Calif. and will help to expand Phononic’s presence in Silicon Valley, as well as lead Phononic’s already-established team in the Asia-Pacific region.
“The optoelectronics market holds so much world-changing possibility, with 5G networks guaranteed to transform everything from driverless cars to virtual and augmented reality technologies,” said Tony Atti, CEO and founder of Phononic. “We’re thrilled that Kevin is joining the team. He shares our vision for revolutionizing this industry through our differentiated thermoelectric modules, which will be vital to cooling the sophisticated optical components that transmit the data needed to make all these innovative applications a reality.”
Granucci began his semiconductor career with industry leader, Hitachi, before moving to its opto-device division spin out, Opnext Inc., where he drove and managed North American sales of optical modules, components, and subsystems. Following Opnext’s merger with optical communications and laser solutions provider Oclaro in 2012, Granucci led Oclaro’s client-side module strategy and marketing team while stationed in Japan, building critical new relationships with customers in China and Europe while improving gross margins and profitability for the business unit to record levels.
In his more than two decades in the industry, Granucci has worked closely with many of the major companies defining the optoelectronics roadmap, such as Cisco, Huawei, Nokia, ZTE and today’s biggest datacenter and telecommunications players, providing him with a vast network and deep understanding of the global marketplace that will enable Phononic to remain on the cutting-edge of the industry’s cooling needs and continue to drive market share within the vertical.
“Technological advancements in optoelectronics are gaining traction, with next generation solutions like wireless 5G fronthaul systems, 10G-PON, and Remote PHY poised for widespread market adoption in coming years,” according to Vladimir Kozlov, Founder and CEO of LIGHTCOUNTING, a leading optical communications market research company. “But, the increase in data communication rates and bandwidth also presents a significant challenge, with effective cooling of optical components becoming increasingly critical.”
“It was a bittersweet decision to pursue a new venture after 20 years with such an established industry leader like Oclaro, but I saw the tremendous growth rate and the potential of Phononic to become a household name in thermoelectric cooling – I simply couldn’t pass up the chance to be part of that journey,” said Granucci. “Phononic’s materials, manufacturing processes, and modules deliver significantly lower power consumption, increased heat pumping density, and consistent quality to customers. Phononic’s team combines deep expertise and passion, bringing application-specific insight and innovation to every project. These qualities, along with the need for devices that pack more sophisticated cooling capabilities into far smaller form factors, are becoming increasingly critical as the industry continues to evolve.”
To learn more about Phononic’s portfolio of thermoelectric devices for direct laser mounting and module circuit cooling, visit https://phononic.com/optoelectronics/. To learn more about and connect with Granucci, find him at The Optical Networking and Communication Conference & Exhibition (OFC) from March 11-15 in San Diego, Calif. Phononic will be at Booth #5831.
About Phononic
Phononic’s unrivaled approach to solid state cooling is breaking the boundaries of semiconductor innovation to deliver unprecedented performance and sustainability. From disrupting refrigeration and freezing, to cooling pinhead-sized fiber optics, Phononic’s technology takes infinite forms to unseat the wasteful and unreliable cooling solutions of the past, which depend on bulky compressors, noisy fans and noxious gases simply not suited for the modern world. Phononic is transforming the way life-saving drugs and vaccines are protected, data is transmitted and food and beverages are sold, stored and transported. The company has been named to the 2016 and 2017 CNBC Disruptor 50 lists, received the US EPA’s 2017 Emerging Tech Award, R&D 100 Award and more. For more information visit www.phononic.com or follow us on Twitter @PhononicRTP
