SAN JOSE >> Super Micro Computer is pushing ahead with a dramatic expansion of its San Jose footprint by constructing a third South Bay tech campus on a former Fry’s Electronics store site.

In February 2024, Super Micro Computer bought the 19.7-acre property for $80 million. In October 2024, it filed plans to redevelop the site at 550 E. Brokaw Road, a proposal that included an initial phase with a building totaling 333,400 square feet.

That building would be just the start of a new campus that is expected to total about 3 million square feet when fully completed.

Super Micro Computer currently has a headquarters at 980 Rock Ave. The company has also launched what it calls a green computing campus on Ridder Park Drive.

The third campus could sprout on the East Brokaw Road site near Interstate 880.

“We are thrilled to grow our footprint in Silicon Valley,” said Super Micro CEO Charles Liang.

Super Micro Computer noted the new campus is an expansion of the company’s U.S. manufacturing capabilities.

President Donald Trump’s administration has prioritized the creation of more manufacturing sites in the U.S. through an array of tactics, including imposing tariffs on foreign products and weakening regulations.

“With this planned expansion, Super Micro is helping San Jose redefine what ‘Made in America’ looks like and creating high-paying new jobs to fuel our economy,” San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said.

The company also hopes the new campus would help it ride the wave of artificial intelligence ventures. Its products reportedly include computer servers that operate efficiently and require less energy than the typical server. Lower energy consumption is a crucial component to creating artificial intelligence hubs.

“As AI factories become more prevalent, liquid-cooled data centers are critical to meet these increasing customer demands,” Liang said. “We anticipate that up to 30% of new data centers will adopt liquid cooling solutions.”

Super Micro Computer predicts its new campus will generate hundreds of jobs. Engineering, production and corporate roles are slated to be among the future positions.

In at least the first phase of the site’s redevelopment, the well-known Mayan-themed structure that was once the Fry’s store might remain even after the initial three-story building is constructed, according to development plans.

The site that Super Micro Computer purchased has a long history of usage by high-profile — even iconic — businesses.

Here’s a summary of which companies have occupied that location over time, according to a report that architecture firm TreanorHL prepared for the state Parks and Recreation Department in 2021:

• Levi Strauss & Co. distribution center, 1969-1979.

• Tandem Computers leased the former distribution center 1981-1983.

• Televideo Systems, a computer hardware company, occupied the building from 1985 to 1995.

• Fry’s Electronics opened a retail store in 1996 and closed the store in 2021 when the retailer abruptly ceased all operations.