Menlo Micro appoints Richard Simoncic as CEO to drive AI scale-up
Menlo Microsystems has appointed Richard Simoncic as chief executive officer, effective immediately, as the company shifts its focus from technology validation towards broader commercial adoption. Simoncic succeeds Russ Garcia, who held the role for a decade and oversaw the development and initial commercialisation of Menlo Micro's core switching platform.
Simoncic joins from Microchip Technology (NASDAQ: MCHP), where he spent 35 years and most recently served as chief operating officer. During that tenure, he is credited with helping grow the company into what became a $5 billion global semiconductor business, founding its analogue division and scaling it to more than $2 billion in annual revenue, and integrating more than 30 acquisitions. He had previously served Menlo Micro in a strategic advisory capacity before accepting the full-time leadership role.
The appointment
"Menlo Micro has built a truly differentiated switching technology and turned it into a production-ready platform with real customer momentum," Simoncic said. "That combination of technology, market opportunity and customer traction is what makes this such an exciting time to lead the company."
Board chair Risa Stack described Simoncic as bringing the operational expertise and judgement needed to scale the business, adding that the board has significant confidence in his ability to capture the opportunities ahead.
Simoncic's stated near-term priorities include accelerating growth in semiconductor test and measurement, deepening customer engagement, and advancing Menlo Micro's product strategy across AI infrastructure, data centres, defence, and adjacent markets. The company said its switching products are already being used by top semiconductor manufacturers, including NVIDIA, to validate and scale production of advanced chipsets.
Market context
Menlo Micro's core product, the Ideal Switch, is positioned as a chip-scale alternative to both electromechanical relays and conventional semiconductor switches, with the company claiming advantages in speed, power efficiency and scalability across frequency and power domains. The switching and signal-control market is a relatively specialist corner of the broader semiconductor supply chain, but one that is gaining strategic relevance as AI infrastructure buildouts demand higher-performance interconnects and tighter power management.
The company has also disclosed two notable growth vectors beyond its core AI infrastructure and test-and-measurement business: contracts with the US Department of War for power-control applications, and the recent launch of a cryogenic switch targeted at the quantum computing market. Both represent early-stage but high-value niches where performance characteristics of solid-state switches are particularly well suited.
Competitive positioning
The broader market for high-performance switching technology is contested by established semiconductor component vendors as well as emerging specialists. Menlo Micro's Ideal Switch platform competes in part with MEMS-based and GaN-based switching solutions, as well as legacy relay suppliers serving defence and industrial markets. The company's relationship with NVIDIA as a validation customer is a meaningful commercial signal, though Menlo Micro has not disclosed revenue or contract values.
Simoncic's background in analogue semiconductors and large-scale operational integration suggests a playbook oriented towards scaling manufacturing, broadening the customer base, and potentially pursuing acquisitions to extend the product portfolio. How quickly the company can convert its named reference customers into recurring volume contracts will be the clearest indicator of whether the leadership transition accelerates the commercial trajectory Garcia established over the previous decade.