Former Microchip COO brings 35 years of semiconductor scaling experience as Menlo Micro expands commercial adoption across AI infrastructure and high-growth markets
Rich Simoncic appointed as new CEO of Menlo Micro.
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Menlo Microsystems (“Menlo Micro”), a leader in high-performance switching technology for AI infrastructure, today announced the appointment of Richard (“Rich”) Simoncic as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. This marks a new phase for the company as it builds on growing customer traction and moves from technology validation toward broader market adoption.
Simoncic joins Menlo Micro following a distinguished 35-year career at Microchip Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ: MCHP), where he most recently served as COO. During his tenure, Simoncic helped transform Microchip into a $5 billion global semiconductor leader, playing a central role in the company’s growth, operational scale, product innovation, and strategic execution.
Simoncic succeeds Russ Garcia, who has served as CEO for the last decade and led Menlo Micro through a pivotal period of technology validation, product commercialization, and customer development, establishing the foundation for the company’s continued expansion.
“Menlo Micro has built a truly differentiated switching technology and turned it into a production-ready platform with real customer momentum,” said Rich Simoncic, newly appointed CEO of Menlo Micro. “That combination of technology, market opportunity and customer traction is what makes this such an exciting time to lead the company.”
Simoncic previously served as a strategic advisor to Menlo Micro, supporting the company as it expanded its work with leading semiconductor manufacturers developing chips for AI. At Microchip, he founded the company’s analog business and grew it into a $2+ billion annual revenue organization, while integrating more than 30 acquisitions. As COO, he led global operations spanning product strategy, manufacturing and customer engagement.
Menlo Micro’s products are helping top semiconductor companies, including NVIDIA, validate and scale production of their advanced chipsets. The company is also expanding its reach into power control through contracts with the Department of War and into quantum computing with the recent launch of a cryogenic switch.
“We’ve proven the technology and built real customer momentum. The opportunity now is to scale that success and expand adoption across AI infrastructure and other high-performance markets,” continued Simoncic.
Simoncic will initially focus on accelerating growth in semiconductor test and measurement, strengthening customer engagement, and advancing Menlo Micro’s product strategy across AI infrastructure, data centers, defense, and other priority markets.
“Rich is an exceptional semiconductor leader with the experience, judgment, and operational expertise required to scale the company,” said Risa Stack, Chair of the Board of Directors of Menlo Micro. “The Board has tremendous confidence in Rich’s ability to lead Menlo Micro and capture the significant opportunities ahead.”
About Menlo Micro
Menlo Micro sets a new standard for switches with the Ideal Switch, a chip-scale platform that overcomes performance, efficiency, and scalability bottlenecks of electromechanical relays (EMRs) and semiconductor-based switches. It’s the first disruptive switching technology in over 30 years and the only platform scalable across both power and frequency domains. The Ideal Switch enables smaller, lighter, faster, more reliable, and energy-efficient systems.
From test & measurement to data centers and defense, the Ideal Switch eliminates bottlenecks and reduces the total cost of ownership across today’s most demanding applications. Menlo Micro unlocks new possibilities. For more information, visit www.menlomicro.com or follow the company on LinkedIn.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6315b78a-9ce1-4ee4-aecc-89cfb72345ee
