Posted by Heidi Schwartz
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that six leading global technology companies will invest $1.5 billion to create ‘Nano Utica,’ the state’s second major hub of nanotechnology research and development. The public-private partnership, to be spearheaded by the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY CNSE) and the SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT), will create more than 1,000 new high-tech jobs on the campus of SUNYIT in Marcy.
The consortium of companies that will create Nano Utica are led by Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions Incorporated (ANSI), SEMATECH, Atotech, and SEMATECH and CNSE partner companies, including IBM, Lam Research and Tokyo Electron. The consortium will be headquartered at the CNSE-SUNYIT Computer Chip Commercialization Center and will build on the research and development programs currently being conducted by ANSI, SEMATECH and their private industry partners at the SUNY CNSE campus in Albany.
“New York is paving the way for more than a billion dollars in private investment and the creation of more than 1,000 new jobs,” Cuomo said. “The new Nano Utica facility will serve as a cleanroom and research hub for Nano Utica whose members can tap into the training here at SUNYIT and local workforce, putting the Mohawk Valley on the map as an international location for nanotechnology research and development. This partnership demonstrates how the new New York is making targeted investments to transition our state’s economy to the 21st century and take advantage of the strengths of our world class universities and highly trained workforce.”
The computer chip packaging consortium will work inside the complex now under construction on the SUNYIT campus, which is due to open in late 2014. As a result of the commitment of the major companies to locate at Nano Utica, the $125 million facility is being expanded to accommodate the new collaboration, with state-of-the-art cleanrooms, laboratories, hands-on education and workforce training facilities, and integrated offices encompassing 253,000 square feet. The cleanroom will be the first-of-its-kind in the nation: a 56,000-square-foot cleanroom stacked on two levels, providing more than five times the space that was originally planned. To support the project, New York State will invest $200 million over 10 years for the purchasing new equipment for the Nano Utica facility; no private company will receive any state funds as part of the initiative.
As part of the state’s work to promote innovation-driven economic development, the initiative will provide new momentum for development of the adjacent Marcy Nanocenter manufacturing site. CNSE is working with Mohawk Valley EDGE to lead development of the site, which has the capacity to support construction of three 450mm computer chip fabrication facilities.
Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said, “Oneida County and this region will be a preeminent hub for 21st century nanotechnology innovation.”
Senator Joseph A. Griffo said, “This public-private partnership marks an important step towards the future, not just for SUNYIT and nanotechnology research, but for the Mohawk Valley region as a whole. Bringing in high-tech jobs and new private sector investments is a great way to stimulate the local economy, and I am thankful for the Governor’s work to make this partnership possible.”
Hector Ruiz, Chairman of Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions, Inc., said, “My Advanced Nano colleagues and I are working to create breakthrough technology, and we couldn’t find a better place to bring this investment and these jobs than New York. We looked across this country, and around the world, and this is where we found the talent, the mindset, and the leadership to help us revolutionize nanoscale technology, through semiconductors and everything they power.”
SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher said, “This new investment in Utica will help the CNSE-SUNYIT Computer Chip Commercialization Center bring top companies to the Mohawk Valley and bring life-changing products to market.”
