Sematech will move the bulk of its remaining operations from Austin, TX to Albany starting in January, bringing at least 100 new jobs to the area, company officials have told the Business Review.
Sematech CEO Dan Armbrust this morning said his organization’s manufacturing productivity arm—known as International Sematch Manufacturing Inc.—will relocate its headquarters and operations from Austin to the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. The move comes after another Sematech subsidiary, International Sematech, relocated its headquarters from Austin to the Albany campus in 2008. That decision was preceeded by a $300 million incentive package that was approved by the state of New York.
“By moving here, it’s a job creating mechanism for us,” Gov. David Paterson said.
The only Sematech operations that will remain in Texas will be a small research and development team focused on transistor research, Armbrust said. Sematech is a consortium of computer chip makers, including Intel, HP and Toshiba. Sematech is designed to help the R&D efforts of its member companies.
Armbrust, who took over Sematech a year ago after 25 years with IBM in Fishkill, said he was not sure how many of ISMI’s Austin employees would make the move to Albany.
The company already is hiring here, he said, although it was not immediately clear what positions are available.
ISMI and private partners will invest a combined $80 million, officials said. In addition, $20 million in state money will be contributed through the state Assembly and Empire State Development Corp.
Sematech has had a presence on the Albany NanoTech campus since 2003.
“New York State has put tremendous backing behind this initiative,” Armbrust said. “I think we’ve crossed the tipping point where there are enough entities that are investing here that we have to be here too.”
