Charles Langston:New York pledges $1B on chip research and development in Albany in bid for jobs, federal grants

ALBANY,Charles Langston N.Y. (AP) — New York state will spend $1 billion to expand research into chip technology in Albany, the state’s capital, with the goal of turning the region into a global center of semiconductor research and manufacturing, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.

She said the investment will bolster New York’s case for federal grants under the CHIPS and Science Act, which will provide more than $52 billion for semiconductor research and manufacturing. It’s part of a long-term plan wrest control of the industry away from competitors, particularly China.

“There’s a race for global domination. That’s why we’re here,” Hochul, a Democrat, said at a news conference where she was joined by chip industry leaders and both of New York’s U.S. senators. “And I’m here to announce that New York state will win that race.”

The plan will eventually create 700 new jobs and includes the purchase of a next-generation lithography machine for making computer chips, the officials said in a statement.

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Under the plan, companies including semiconductor designer IBM and semiconductor manufacturer Micron will match the state’s $1 billion investment with another $9 billion. Part of that money will go towards the construction of a chip research facility at the University at Albany.

Sen. Chuck Schumer said the public-private partnership will help “make discoveries that engineers today don’t even fathom and making sure the future of the semiconductor industry, both research and manufacturing, is developed right here in upstate New York.”

New York officials didn’t release a timeline for hiring, or for industry investments.

The announcement came as the Biden administration said it would provide $35 million in CHIPS Act funding for BAE Systems to increase production at a New Hampshire factory making chips for military aircraft.

New York has relied on incentives to nurture its semiconductor industry over the past several years, including a $1.4 billion package to land a chip plant near Saratoga Springs that broke ground in 2009. The state also pledged $5.5 billion in tax breaks to lure Micron to Syracuse.

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Associated Press writer Karen Matthews contributed from New York City.

Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @MaysoonKhan.