Nuklonas (PO Box M-5621) is a former military manufacturer of
integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...
Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic (Lithuanian SSR; lt, Lietuvos Tarybų Socialistinė Respublika; russian: Литовская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Litovskaya Sovetskaya Sotsialistiche ...
.
Soviet times
The factory was established in 1966. According to
Algirdas Brazauskas
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas (, 1932 – 2010) was the first President (fourth overall) of a newly re-independent post-Soviet Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.
He also served as head of the Communist Party of Li ...
, it was established in Šiauliai because , Minister of Electronic Industry, was elected to the
Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union
The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( rus, Верховный Совет Союза Советских Социалистических Республик, r=Verkhovnyy Sovet Soyuza Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respubl ...
in the city. The factory occupied a territory of ; its buildings had of floor space. At its peak it employed some 4,200 workers. The factory produced modern integrated circuits for the most important civilian and military instruments. When in 1984, United States formed the
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), derisively nicknamed the "''Star Wars'' program", was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect the United States from attack by ballistic strategic nuclear weapons (intercontinental ballistic ...
to re-ignite an
arms race
An arms race occurs when two or more groups compete in military superiority. It consists of a competition between two or more states to have superior armed forces; a competition concerning production of weapons, the growth of a military, and t ...
with the Soviet Union, Soviet Ministry of Electronic Industry suggested that the factory be expanded by . Lithuanian communists, including
Petras Griškevičius
Petras Petrovičius Griškevičius (; 19 July 1924 in Rokiškis district – 14 November 1987 in Vilnius) was a Lithuanian communist party official in the Lithuanian SSR. He was the First Secretary of the Lithuanian Communist Party (''de facto'' ...
and
Algirdas Brazauskas
Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas (, 1932 – 2010) was the first President (fourth overall) of a newly re-independent post-Soviet Lithuania from 1993 to 1998 and Prime Minister from 2001 to 2006.
He also served as head of the Communist Party of Li ...
, refused. The episode is cited as an example of local soviet officials defending Lithuanian interest against orders from Moscow. From 1986 on, the factory produced BK 0010 personal computers to be used in high schools.
Post-independence
In 1990–92, alongside its main production, the factory produced
monocrystalline silicon
Monocrystalline silicon, more often called single-crystal silicon, in short mono c-Si or mono-Si, is the base material for silicon-based discrete components and integrated circuits used in virtually all modern electronic equipment. Mono-Si also ...
solar cell
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon.
s. In 1994, the factory was declared bankrupt. In 1995, the factory resumed production, controlled by AB Nuklonas (registered on November 22, 1994). During the first months company had 250 employees and reached the income of . In 1996, the company was obliged to transfer its retreat center worth to the city of Šiauliai. In October 1997, the creditors of AB Nuklonas decided to liquidate the company.
In 1989, the enterprise commissioned artist to produce a
tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...
for its newly constructed culture house. The work ''Saulėtas miškas'' (Sunny Forest) measures and is recognized by the Lithuanian Records Book as the largest in Lithuania. Due to the Nuklonas bankruptcy, the tapestry was sold back to Simutis. In 1993, the unfinished culture house was transferred to the Catholic Church in hopes that a congregation could re-purpose the building as a church. The church operated there until 2006, when the property was sold to
VP Group
Vilniaus prekyba - the largest Lithuanian group of private companies operating since 1992, with 44,000 employees in six countries.
Vilniaus prekyba is the largest group of companies of the VP Group. VP Group also owns NDX Group, UAB, Galio Group ...
, which built a shopping mall in its place.
After the liquidation of AB Nuklonas, integrated circuits manufacturing in Šiauliai ceased to exist. The buildings of the factory were split among various companies. Since 1998, the AB Nuklonas administration building has housed the
Šiauliai University
Šiauliai (; bat-smg, Šiaulē; german: Schaulen, ) is the fourth largest city in Lithuania, with a population of 107,086. From 1994 to 2010 it was the capital of Šiauliai County.
Names
Šiauliai is referred to by various names in different l ...
's Faculty of Social Sciences. The university wanted to establish Šiauliai University Science and Technology Park, but the project failed due to debts and mismanagement.