On April 25th President Biden visited Syracuse to announce a $6.1 billion investment by the Department of Commerce in Micron Technology, which will be dramatically expanding its domestic memory chip manufacturing in the United States, as well as the announcement that central New York will be designated as a National Workforce Hub. Both federal and state incentives were essential to secure Micron’s $100 billion investment in the White Pine Industrial Park in the town of Clay (Onondaga County) – one of the largest economic development projects in U.S. history.
A Historic Moment for Central New York
This federal funding through the CHIPS and Science Act builds upon $5.5 billion in performance-based Green CHIPS incentives provided by New York State that are directly tied to Micron creating 9,000 new direct jobs, investing $100 billion in New York State, and achieving the Green CHIPS community benefits package and sustainability standards for their Clay facility. In total, the project is expected to create nearly 50,000 jobs statewide, including an average of 5,600 construction jobs per year paying federal prevailing wage. When complete, the complex will include the nation's largest clean room space at approximately 2.4 million square feet, grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing, and enhance our national security by expanding the United States’ chipmaking capacity.
Today’s announcement complements the ongoing partnership between Micron and New York State that was forged in October 2022 when Micron chose Central New York for its megafab. Governor Hochul has worked closely with local, state and federal partners to prepare for Micron’s arrival and make continued investments in the community.
Timeline
In October 2023, Governor Hochul unveiled plans for the $15 million, 5,000 square-foot Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab at Onondaga Community College, which will help to train students in Central New York for jobs at Micron.
Governor Hochul has continued to work with Micron to provide access to reliable and affordable child care for Micron employees, including future on-site child care options on Micron’s Clay campus.
Micron has made significant investments that will benefit Central New York families, including $500,000 to the YMCA of Central New York to help expand access to high-quality child care and early learning for underserved communities in the region.
Micron also announced funding for the Early Childhood Career Pathways Program, administered by Childcare Solutions and PEACE Inc., to expand family home child care centers.
Micron, in partnership with Empire State Development, will establish a $500 million Green CHIPS Community Fund to ensure that the area directly benefits from the company’s presence.
Additionally, the Governor secured an additional $500 million capital investment for NY CREATES’ Albany Nanotech Complex with total State investment of $1 billion to jumpstart a $10 billion partnership that will bring a cutting-edge High NA EUV Lithography Center to the Complex. The Governor announced the partnership with IBM, Micron, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron and other leaders from the semiconductor industry last year as part of her commitment to establishing a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing in New York. Once completed, this new center will build on other semiconductor-related investments to make New York home to the first publicly owned High NA EUV Lithography Center in North America, support the long-term growth of New York’s tech economy, and create and retain thousands of direct, indirect and union construction jobs.
"As the first Governor from Upstate New York in more than a century, I knew we needed to revitalize the Upstate economy and transform New York State into a national leader in semiconductor manufacturing and research. The combination of federal funding and our Green CHIPS program is the formula for success." - Governor Hochul
The Budget also includes a $200 million investment to establish One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships (ON-RAMP) – a network of four new workforce development centers to prepare New Yorkers for the jobs of the future. As the state continues to attract 21st century businesses in fast-growing industries like semiconductor manufacturing, ON-RAMP will offer credentials and training related to advanced manufacturing and help expand opportunities for disadvantaged populations. The program will focus on strategic, high-impact locations in upstate New York, including a flagship facility in Syracuse overseen by CenterState CEO.
Additionally, $100 million in additional funding has been secured for the Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York (FAST NY) program. Launched in December 2022, FAST NY has awarded more than $175 million to prepare more than 2,500 acres across 20 sites in every Upstate region for shovel-readiness, a key feature businesses seek when looking to locate.
Creating a Global Technology Hub
Semiconductors are vital to the nation's economic strength, serving as the brains of modern electronics, and enabling technologies critical to U.S. economic growth, national security, and global competitiveness. The industry directly employs over 300,000 people in the U.S. and supports more than 1.8 million additional domestic jobs. Semiconductors are a top five U.S. export, and the industry is the number one contributor to labor productivity, supporting improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of virtually every economic sector — from farming to manufacturing.
New York's is home to a robust semiconductor industry of 156 semiconductor and supply chain companies that employ over 34,000 New Yorkers. The industry is continuing to expand with major investments from semiconductor businesses and supply chain companies like Micron, GlobalFoundries, AMD, Edwards Vacuum, Menlo Micro and TTM Technologies to expand their presence in New York.