On Mar. 4, 1956, Sandia opened second laboratory and transferred personnel from Albuquerque to Livermore, California and began construction of facilities across East Ave. from the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Livermore (now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory).

Sandia began in 1945 as Z Division, the ordnance design, testing, and assembly arm of Los Alamos National Laboratory. It became Sandia Laboratory in 1948. Sandia Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Electric, took over management of Sandia Laboratory in 1949. Sandia Corporation became a wholly owned subsidiary of Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin Corp.) in 1993.