Pittsburgh Innovation District’s new coworking space has its first tech tenant

A global technology company is doubling down on its Pittsburgh presence.

Oakland’s Pittsburgh Innovation District is the professional home of researchers, entrepreneurs and technologists, including the economic development group’s string of coworking spaces that serve as the base for companies such as Plus One Robotics, UnderDog and Conduction.

Now, it’s added another company to the fold with the announcement that Fujitsu, the Japanese communications technology giant, will become the first tenant in its new Avenu Workspaces location at 115 Atwood St.

Fujitsu has used the Pittsburgh Innovation District’s Avenu Meyran coworking space since August 2022. The company’s goal is to “triple the size” of its local presence as it grows its team.

“This move represents an exciting chapter for us, as we embrace a fresh environment that will inspire creativity, collaboration, and continued growth,” said Koichiro Niinuma, research director of Fujitsu Research of America, in a written statement.

Fujitsu Research of America operates as a subsidiary of Fujitsu, which counts around 124,000 employees globally; the American subsidiary has around 50 employees. This new office space will accommodate roughly eight, Niinuma told Technical.ly.

The company first came to Pittsburgh in 2018 to form a research collaboration with the nearby Carnegie Mellon University’s Mobility Data Analytics Center and Computational Behavior Lab. The collaboration includes two projects that analyze traffic flow and pedestrian behavior.

Fujitsu will go from using two small offices to three large private offices in this new location. The expansion, the announcement said, couldn’t have happened without the simultaneous expansion of the InnovatePGH-owned Avenu Workspaces.

“Partnerships like this one are proof that the Pittsburgh Innovation District’s density of talent, transit connectivity, and retail amenities are creating a compelling package not just for growing technology startups, but also for global companies eager to make research and development a central part of their growth strategy,” said Sean Luther, executive director of InnovatePGH, in the announcement.

Atiya Irvin-Mitchell is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Heinz Endowments.