Syracuse, New York — The nation’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center will be built in Albany, significantly increasing upstate New York’s status as a chip manufacturing hub.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said today that the new center at the Albany Nanotech Complex could receive up to $825 million in federal investment from the CHIPS and Science Act, which Schumer sponsored.
“This is the dawn of a new day for upstate New York and a turning point in America’s leadership in semiconductor research,” Schumer said in a news release. “Today, Uncle Sam says upstate New York is the place to develop the next frontier of America’s technological future.”
The CHIPS for America Extreme Ultraviolet Accelerator Center is part of the Biden administration’s effort to bring chip manufacturing back to the United States from Asia. The establishment of the center means industry leaders, university researchers and entrepreneurs will have access to the world’s most advanced chip-making machinery.
These machines include what are called extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines. The cost of a single bus-sized EUV device can reach $500 million and is essential for establishing early patterns for memory chips used in phones, cars, and other electronic devices.
The machine is essential for making chips with billions of transistors that are one-tenth the size of a virus.
New York state provided $1 billion for EUV facilities.
“From day one of my administration, I pledged that New York State would lead the way in bringing advanced manufacturing and research and development back to America, creating good jobs and opportunity in the process,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement. .
Schumer said the new center will support Micron Technology, which plans to build the nation’s largest chip manufacturing plant in the town of Clay. The project could cost $100 billion to build over the next 20 years, with construction expected to begin in late 2025, according to Micron.
Micron says it will use EUV equipment at its clay manufacturing plants, or fabs. The first fab is scheduled to open in 2028.
Schumer said the technology center will allow Micron, IBM, GlobalFoundries and other major semiconductor companies to research and develop new chips on EUV machines in Albany.
The Albany Nanotech Complex plans to install EUV there. The complex will be the only public research and development facility in North America equipped with the latest EUV models.
The EUV center is scheduled to open in 2025.
