SCHUMER SECURES UP TO $500 MILLION IN NATIONAL DEFENSE BILL TO BOLSTER THE TECH HUBS PROGRAM HE CREATED IN HIS BIPARTISAN CHIPS & SCIENCE LAW TO POWER UPSTATE NY’S INNOVATION INDUSTRIES LIKE SEMICONDUCTORS & BATTERIES
Schumer Created Tech Hubs Program With Upstate NY In Mind, Fighting For Years To Land The Designation For Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse Region As America’s Semiconductor Superhighway & For Binghamton As A Major Battery Research Cluster
New Funding Schumer Has Secured In NDAA Will Help Continue Critical Work For EDA To Boost Regions Across The Country, Including Upstate, NY That Received Highly-Competitive Tech Hub Designations – As Well As Unlocking Opportunities To Invest In New Regions
Schumer: Tech Hubs Tap The Potential Of The Entire Country To Out-Innovate The World, And It Is Critical We Continue This Program For Upstate NY & America
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer today announced he has secured up to $500 million in new funding for the Regional Tech Hubs program – which he created in his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law – as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25), which is slated for floor consideration in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the coming days.
Schumer fought for years to land the prestigious Tech Hubs designation for Upstate NY, which received two coveted designations, one for semiconductor manufacturing and innovation across the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region and a second for the Binghamton University-led New Energy New York battery hub. Schumer said this new funding will help expand this vital program ensuring it continues to help bring the development of critical technologies back to our shores in the communities that need it most.
“I created the Tech Hubs program in my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law, always with Upstate NY and communities like it across America in mind, and we are already seeing the tremendous benefits of this program. The Tech Hubs program must continue, and that is why I am proud to announce I have secured up to $500 million for Tech Hubs in the national defense bill we are working to pass before the end of the year,” said Senator Schumer. “From Buffalo to Binghamton, we are already seeing the benefits of the Tech Hubs program, helping create new, good-paying jobs, attracting companies, and preparing our workforce to make the technology America needs to power its future, from semiconductors to batteries. Now is not the time to slow down, we need to be investing more to ensure that the full benefits of the CHIPS & Science Law are realized and major investments like Micron are able to be connected to communities & businesses that are ready to help write the next chapter for American manufacturing and innovation in Upstate NY and around the country.”
Schumer added, “This new Tech Hubs funding will help keep this program strong to continue to breathe new life into our regions, positioning them to lead the industries of the future.”
Schumer explained that the provision he worked to include in the NDAA would direct up to $500 million in new funding to the Tech Hubs program, funding that will be generated from spectrum auction proceeds. The spectrum provisions secured in the package will allow the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) to conduct a one-time auction for the AWS-3 spectrum band to help meet the surging spectrum demands of wireless consumers. By securing up to $500 million, the Tech Hubs program will have the opportunity to consider support for currently designated Tech Hub regions or even expand investments to more regions.
Schumer created the Regional Tech Hubs competition in his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law to help bring critical industries back from overseas to communities that have great potential to lead in new technologies. After years of advocacy, Schumer successfully landed two Tech Hub designations for Upstate NY, an exclusive group, comprised of only 31 total regional designations across the country that beat out nearly 400 initial applications in a nationwide competition. The two Upstate NY designations were:
- The Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region’s “NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub” which is working to bolster Upstate NY’s booming semiconductor industry by attracting new suppliers to the region, advancing research & development programs for the semiconductor industry, and helping train the next generation of Upstate New York’s manufacturing workforce in the semiconductor industry. Earlier this year, Schumer secured the first major $40 million Tech Hubs implementation grant for the proposal, aiming to turn the corridor into America’s semiconductor superhighway. The Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region was one of only 12 implementation grant awardees nationally.
- The Binghamton University-led New Energy New York (NENY) project which seeks to accelerate Upstate NY’s battery research & development cluster. According to Binghamton University, the effort is projected to have billions of dollars in regional economic impact and create thousands of good-paying jobs. Over the summer, Schumer delivered a $500,000 Consortium Accelerator Award through the federal Tech Hubs program to boost the region’s ongoing work. This builds on years of funding Schumer has secured for the Binghamton-based battery project, including both the prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines award that was also created by his CHIPS & Science Law that is providing up to $160 million in potential funding to boost their battery efforts and the Build Back Better Regional Challenge Award created by Schumer’s American Rescue Plan, which unlocked over $113 million in funding to jumpstart these efforts.
Both Upstate NY Regional Tech Hubs are tackling comprehensive regional priorities to position themselves to lead in critical technologies. These priorities range from workforce training to supply chain expansion and R&D investment.
- In Buffalo, the EDA Tech Hub funding will play a critical role in strengthening the region’s position within the semiconductor supply chain through a concerted effort led by the University at Buffalo. This initiative aims to close gaps in the semiconductor supply chain and create growth opportunities for local businesses.
- In Rochester, the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub’s Workforce Training efforts are being led by Monroe Community College, which is expanding internship and apprenticeship opportunities and establishing a program to pair industry partners with semiconductor supply chain firms to develop training and job placement efforts. MCC will develop new programs and expand on existing programs to provide skills workers will need to secure jobs in the semiconductor industry. For example, its only-in-the-nation associates degree in precision optics has sent graduates to I-Corridor chip supply chain manufacturers like Corning and Optimax.
- In Syracuse, Syracuse University will spearhead the development of the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub’s commercialization component. Syracuse University will help coordinate stakeholders and the Tech Hub’s key commercialization assets and resources across academia, government, and industry. The university will also help expand access for small, mid-size, and minority-owned business and nurture regional growth in semiconductor-related innovation and entrepreneurship.
- In Binghamton, the Binghamton University-led New Energy New York (NENY) battery Tech Hub has been instrumental in highlighting the region’s strength in battery R&D. NENY has supported regional innovation, manufacturing and supply chain development, as well as workforce development programs that have spanned all levels of education to connect students from underserved communities to opportunities in this growing industry. The NENY Tech Hub has partnered with local agencies and companies to develop new battery technology for energy-efficient trains thanks to federal funding Schumer helped secure. Binghamton’s Tech Hub designation also bolstered the Raymond Corporation and Toyota Material Handling’s decision to build lithium ion battery packs for their operation and incorporate other critical battery technology.
Thanks to Schumer’s CHIPS & Science Law, Upstate New York has seen a major revival in tech manufacturing. Earlier this year Schumer secured a major $825 million federal investment to make Albany NanoTech the first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) flagship facility and headquarters for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) research and development that is critical to the global chip industry. Micron has announced plans for a historic $100+ billion investment to build a cutting-edge memory megafab in Central New York with the support of a finalized $6.1 billion CHIPS incentive award. GlobalFoundries plans to invest over $13 billion to expand and construct a second, new state-of-the-art computer chip factory in the Capital Region, with support from a finalized $1.5 billion CHIPS incentive award. Wolfspeed has opened a 200mm silicon carbide fabrication facility in the Mohawk Valley, one of the largest in the world, with a $750 million preliminary CHIPS agreement accelerating their ongoing expansion in the Mohawk Valley and boosting good-paying jobs expected to be created at the Marcy facility. TTM Technologies, a printed circuit board manufacturer, plans to invest up to $130 million to expand its facilities in Onondaga County, supported by federal investment to strengthen domestic supply chains, creating up to 400 good-paying jobs. Menlo Micro will invest $150 million to build their microchip switch manufacturing facility in Tompkins County, creating over 100 new good-paying jobs. In addition, Upstate New York is home to semiconductor supply chain companies like Corning Incorporated, which manufactures glass critical to the microchip industry at its Canton and Fairport, NY plants. Recently, Schumer announced that Corning Incorporated reached a $32 million CHIPS PMT funding agreement to make a $315 million investment that would increase production at their Canton facility of specialized glass vital for the semiconductor industry. Additionally, following Schumer’s advocacy, Edwards Vacuum has announced a $300+ million investment to build a dry pump manufacturing facility, made possible by a $18 million preliminary CHIPS agreement, creating 600 good-paying jobs to support the growing chip industry in Western New York.
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