FOLLOWING HIS PERSONAL INVITATION & LONGSTANDING ADVOCACY, SCHUMER BRINGS COMMERCE DEPUTY SECRETARY GRAVES TO ALBANY NANOTECH TO PITCH FACILITY AS THE IDEAL HUB FOR THE NATION’S FIRST NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY CENTER AND NATIONAL ADVANCED PACKAGING MANUFACTURING PROGRAM; SENATOR – WITH GOVERNOR HOCHUL– SAYS UPSTATE NEW YORK CAN REVIVE U.S. CHIP INDUSTRY, ALLEVIATE SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTIONS, CREATE THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS, & POWER U.S. TECH LEADERSHIP
Last Summer, Schumer Brought Sec. Raimondo To Albany To Announce GlobalFoundries’ Planned Expansion; Now, Schumer, with Gov. Hochul, Doubles Down, Providing Firsthand Tour To Commerce Leadership of Albany Nanotech Complex & All It Has To Offer As A Premier National Hub For Next Generation Semiconductor Research & Development, Potentially Bringing +1,000 Jobs, Supercharging American R&D & Maintaining U.S. Tech Leadership
New +30 Partner National Coalition – Including IBM, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, SUNY, RPI, & MIT, Combined With Unique Support For Startups And Workforce Makes NY Ideal Spot As A Hub For The NSTC
Schumer & Hochul To Feds: Albany Nanotech Can Quickly Put The NSTC To Action For The Nation
After years of staunch advocacy to invest in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and R&D, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer successfully passed his U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) in the Senate and immediately brought Secretary Raimondo to Albany to announce GlobalFoundries’ planned expansion and pitched Upstate New York as the ideal place to grow the U.S. semiconductor industry. Today, Schumer doubled down on his advocacy by personally bringing another top Commerce Department official, Deputy Secretary Don Graves, to the Albany Nanotech Complex, where he and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul provided a personal tour of the world-class facility and pitched Albany Nanotech as a hub for the nation’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP), two programs that will be funded by USICA.
“When I wrote the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act to fund the creation of a National Semiconductor Technology Center and Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, I always had Albany front of mind. That’s why, as soon as the bill passed the senate last summer, I brought Secretary Raimondo to Albany to meet with stakeholders and hear everything Albany and Upstate New York has to offer. Now, it’s time they see the wonders behind the Albany Nanotech Complex up close and how Upstate New York has all the ingredients to power and revive the U.S. chip industry, and become the nation’s first hub for the National Semiconductor Technology Center and Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program. ” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I’m proud to have personally brought Deputy Secretary Graves with me to the Capital Region to see firsthand how Albany Nanotech’s national partnerships and infrastructure are uniquely suited to lead the NSTC, quickly serve the needs of the nation’s semiconductor industry, supercharge American chip production and leadership in technology, and bring hundreds of jobs to the Capital Region.”
"As the U.S. economy continues to recover from the pandemic, one critical shortage in the global supply chain is a severe lack of microchips," Governor Hochul said. "The semiconductor industry is vital to supporting our health care workers on the frontlines, protecting the integrity of our financial industry, boosting our national security, and it creates good paying jobs. There is no better state for the federal government to invest in this critical industry. New York is a leader in computing design and development, and we are prepared to meet this moment and lead the way."
Dario Gil, Senior Vice President, IBM and Director of Research said, “IBM thanks Senator Schumer, Governor Hochul, and Deputy Secretary of Commerce Graves for their timely visit to Albany Nanotech, and their work to bolster U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and innovation through expanded investment. The Albany semiconductor ecosystem is the result of $15 billion in public and private investments. Each day 2,700 experts, staff, students and faculty work together in Albany to unlock major breakthroughs in chip innovation. The United States must make robust investments in domestic semiconductor research and development to accelerate the pace of that innovation while addressing the serious economic and security challenges posed by the global chip shortage. We continue to urge Congress to pass the U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness Act so that the unique technology ecosystem you visited in New York here today can serve as the innovation hub of a National Semiconductor Technology Center.”
On the tour, Schumer explained that Albany Nanotech is the most “shovel-ready” R&D facility in the country to quickly stand up the NSTC and NAPMP. The multibillion dollar Albany Nanotech is the most advanced, publicly-owned, 300-millimeter semiconductor R&D facility, has well-established partnerships with industry leaders and top academic research institutions across the country, including in critical logic and packaging capabilities, and is set up to immediately begin supporting the needs of the broader semiconductor ecosystem, including startups, small businesses, and the workforce. The site and its partners have a long record of accomplishment of groundbreaking research that has led to successful technology transfer, translating research into manufacturing and commercialization. For example, just last summer, IBM announced the successful development of the world’s first 2 nanometer (nm) microchip – with the R&D work done at the Albany Nanotech Complex, the same site that produced the world’s first 7nm and 5nm chips.
Schumer told Deputy Secretary Graves how New York is currently home to 88 semiconductor companies that employ over 34,000 New Yorkers, including global industry leaders like GlobalFoundries, Wolfspeed, onsemi, and IBM. In addition, New York offers shovel ready sites primed for further investment by the semiconductor industry, including White Pine in Central New York, Marcy Nanocenter in the Mohawk Valley, and STAMP in Western New York. In addition, the senator hailed Albany Nanotech’s nationally recognized workforce development programs that he said uniquely prepare the facility to swiftly meet the needs of the NSTC and NAPMP. Currently, Albany Nanotech is home to the National Science Foundation-funded Northeast Advanced Technological Education Center Program, the federally funded AMP Center, and a skills bridge program that works with community colleges and Fort Drum to train and place individuals exiting military service in high-tech positions that match their military skills. Additionally, located on site at Albany Nanotech is Tech Valley High School – a project-based learning, regional high school whose students interface with Albany Nanotech and its partners for hands-on learning.
Senator Schumer has long worked with Albany Nanotech, IBM, and other major industry and academic partners to craft the creation of the National Semiconductor Technology Center and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, which he successfully pushed to authorize in the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283). He since led the effort to provide funding to implement these programs by including in his U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) $52 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to implement the newly authorized semiconductor-related manufacturing and R&D programs. This includes $10.5 billion appropriated upfront and allocated over 5 years to implement programs like the NSTC & NAPMP, and other R&D programs. Funds will also support legacy chip production at companies like GlobalFoundries that is essential to the auto industry, the military, and other critical industries. Schumer led USICA to a bipartisan Senate passage in June of 2021. Schumer is now actively working with President Biden and Speaker Pelosi to secure final passage of USICA into law.
Senator Schumer has a long history of fighting to advance semiconductor manufacturing and R&D in Upstate New York. Last year, Schumer brought Secretary Raimondo to Malta, NY to announce GlobalFoundries’ plans to build a second chip fab to focus primarily on auto and military chip production, creating thousands of construction and permanent jobs, on top of the 3,000 workers that GlobalFoundries already employs in Malta, and helping to expand domestic supply chains of critical chip technology. During this visit, Schumer also arranged for a meeting between Secretary Raimondo and Albany Nanotech Stakeholders, including NY CREATES and IBM, to discuss how New York is well positioned to quickly stand up the NSTC to serve the needs of the nation’s semiconductor industry. Since that meeting, a coalition of over 30 national partners from industry, academia, and economic development has formed to prepare for Albany Nanotech’s application to compete for the NSTC and NAPMP.
A copy of Schumer’s original letter to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Don Graves inviting them to Albany appears below:
Dear Secretary Raimondo and Deputy Secretary Graves:
I first want to thank you and President Biden for your leadership in strengthening domestic supply chains and ensuring the U.S. remains on the cutting-edge of new research and development (R&D). As you know, I led the effort to pass in the Senate the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) to advance these efforts. Given the chip shortage faced by the nation and that the U.S. is losing its leadership role in the chip industry, I prioritized the inclusion of $52 billion in emergency spending to implement the semiconductor manufacturing and R&D programs that I successfully pushed to authorize in the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283). As we work with the House to pass a final USICA bill into law and as the Administration begins planning for implementation of the semiconductor programs, I want to highlight for you the central role New York can play in quickly expanding domestic chip production and enhancing the nation’s R&D leadership. In particular, New York is perfectly positioned as a model for the National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) and National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP), and I would invite you and your team back to New York to see first-hand New York’s premier assets for the nation’s competitiveness in the semiconductor industry.
Decades of private and public investment has positioned New York as a leader in the semiconductor industry. New York is currently home to 88 semiconductor companies that employ over 34,000 New Yorkers, including global industry leaders like GlobalFoundries, Wolfspeed, onsemi, and IBM. New York is primed to support an expansion of domestic chip production, as you saw first-hand in your participation in GlobalFoundries’ announcement last year of their plans to build a second fab in the Albany region. The state also offers several shovel ready sites: White Pine in Central New York, Marcy Nanocenter in the Mohawk Valley, and STAMP in Western New York. These sites all offer low-cost, reliable water and power infrastructure and access to a world-class workforce.
Additionally, New York is home to the multibillion-dollar Albany Nanotech Complex, affiliated with the State University of New York (SUNY). Albany Nanotech is the most “shovel-ready” R&D site in North America, comprising the most advanced, publicly-owned, 300-millimeter semiconductor R&D facility. Albany Nanotech is led by NY CREATES, which serves as a resource for public-private and academic partnerships not only across the state but also the world. The Albany facility also specializes in commercialization projects, enabling access to semiconductor design and prototyping for startups, smaller businesses, and universities, as well as helping to attract investment for entrepreneurs. In fact, Albany Nanotech is already set up to help startups and the broader ecosystem and can help create hundreds of new U.S. semiconductor companies as the NSTC. This capability allows Albany Nanotech to uniquely fulfill a necessary goal of the NSTC of serving the needs of the entire domestic semiconductor ecosystem, and not just larger companies.
Furthermore, Albany Nanotech is well positioned to develop the nation’s semiconductor workforce with strong university partnerships across the SUNY system and with top engineering schools like Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Cornell, Clarkson, Columbia, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Albany Nanotech also has developed partnerships with premier universities outside of New York like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, and University of Arizona and is focused on working with community colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to prioritize the development of a diverse workforce for the industry. Additionally, late last year, SUNY Polytechnic Institute announced that they have developed with a collaboration of companies a Career Alignment Platform initiative, which is partially funded by $1.25 million from the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration, to provide students and existing workers with training and career pathway support through the Albany Nanotech Complex to access jobs in the semiconductor industry.
From a technical perspective, Albany Nanotech works with several industry leaders and end-users, with a focus on logic and packaging capabilities, among many others. These industry partners include IBM, Applied Materials, onsemi, Saab, Lockheed-Martin, Tokyo Electron Ltd., and Wolfspeed. New York is also home to the federally-funded AIM Photonics Manufacturing USA institute, a cutting-edge packaging R&D program, which combined with Danfoss’s power electronics packaging facility in Marcy, NY, among other assets, positions the state to achieve meaningful and quick outcomes for the NAPMP.
In preparation to compete for the NSTC and NAPMP, I am pleased to share that Albany Nanotech has already started to build a national coalition of over 30 partners across industry and academia. Establishing Albany Nanotech as the central hub for NSTC and NAPMP would allow the Federal government to leverage billions of dollars in other public and private investment that has stood up cutting-edge R&D infrastructure and partnerships that will ensure in a matter of months that real results can be achieved by the NSTC and NAPMP for companies of all sizes and the broader domestic semiconductor industry. Time is of the essence for our nation’s competitiveness, and Albany Nanotech is uniquely suited to drive the rapid progress America needs.
I appreciate all of your partnership to date on passing USICA into law and look forward to continuing to work with you on implementation of these critical programs, including investment in New York to advance the nation’s competitiveness. I also am very appreciative that you took time during your Albany visit last year to meet with Albany Nanotech stakeholders to begin to learn about the unique, highly effective public-private model they offer for NSTC and the NAPMP. I invite you and your team to join me in now touring the Albany Nanotech Complex so you can see the facility, as well as be briefed on Albany Nanotech’s newly formed coalition of national partners brought together to prepare for implementation of the NSTC and NAPMP. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
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