Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region to pursue huge federal investment

DeWITT — Now that Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse has a federal Tech Hub designation that was created in the CHIPS & Science Act, the next step is to pursue the funding.

With the designation, the region will now be in an “exclusive group of only 31 regions in America to compete for potentially billions in federal funding to transform Upstate NY as a global hub for workforce training, innovation, and manufacturing of semiconductor technology,” per the Oct. 23 announcement from the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.).

The region’s proposal — called the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub — will build on the investments that have “spurred a boom” in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation across upstate New York, Schumer’s office said. 

Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced the designation during an Oct. 23 visit to Saab Defense and Security at 5717 Enterprise Pkwy in DeWitt.

The Democrat sees the tech-hub designation as “putting Upstate NY further on the road to becoming America’s semiconductor superhighway.”

“There’s an application as to here’s what we’d use the money for, and they have a lot of good uses. We’ve discussed them,” Schumer said in answering a reporter’s question. “I’ll leave it to them to make that public when the application is actually filed.”

Schumer said he’s working hard to secure the funding, and he would call himself “very optimistic” that the regional tech hub will get it.

NY SMART I-Corridor is short for New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor.

The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal will now be able to compete for the next phase of the Tech Hubs program that will invest between $50 million and $75 million in each of 5 to 10 designated hubs.

“This is an amazing, seminal, turnaround day for Central New York and upstate New York,” Schumer said to open his remarks at the event at Saab. “I am thrilled to announce that thanks to the CHIPS & Science Act, which I authored, the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region has just been designated one of the first federal tech hubs in America and we will transform the I-90 corridor into the semiconductor superhighway.” 

What it means

As Schumer’s office explained it, the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal seeks to propel the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse corridor by attracting new suppliers to the region, including onshoring companies from overseas; advancing research & development programs for the semiconductor industry; training the next generation of upstate New York’s manufacturing workforce; and “specifically helping ensure that underserved populations are connected to the tens thousands of good-paying jobs expected to be created in this growing industry in the region.”

Schumer said that with this designation, the NY SMART I-Corridor will bring together the combined assets of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse to help the region become a “globally recognized” semiconductor-manufacturing hub in the next decade, with innovation focused on “improving the quality and quantity” of semiconductor manufacturing and, along with it, augmenting the region’s microelectronics and microchip supply chain ecosystem. 

The Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse consortium includes more than 80 members from across the public sector, industry, higher-ed, economic and workforce development, and labor. This includes over 22 industry groups and firms, 20 economic-development organizations, eight labor & workforce training organizations, and 10 institutions of higher learning. 

This application-development process was led by three designated conveners, one from each region: The John R. Oishei Foundation in Buffalo, ROC2025 in Rochester, and CenterState CEO in Syracuse. 

In his remarks, Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, acknowledged all those involved from the business and higher-education sectors who have been working toward this goal a long time.

“What is so exciting about the tech hubs opportunity is that we’re taking that same mindset of collaboration and partnering with Rochester, and with Ithaca, and with Buffalo,” Simpson said in his remarks. “And together, we are being reminded that when we work together, we win.”

Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Boise, Idaho–based Micron Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) told the gathering that he’s “very excited” to see the region secure the designation as a tech hub.

Micron on Oct. 4, 2022 announced it would build the largest semiconductor facility in the U.S. in the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay. Micron plans to invest more than $100 billion over the next two decades building a semiconductor campus that will employ 50,000 people.

“We anticipated that our $100 billion investment would help inspire other technology leaders to choose New York. In fact, we see the [opportunity] for a 300-mile tech corridor stretching from Buffalo to Hudson Valley and even to New York City,” Mehrotra said.

Besides Mehrotra and Simpson, several additional local government, higher education, and business leaders joined Schumer for the announcement. They included Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab U.S.; Catherine Gridley, executive VP and president of aerospace at TTM Technologies in DeWitt; Mike Haynie, vice chancellor of Syracuse University; Warren Hilton, president of Onondaga Community College; Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and Greg Lancette, president of the Central and Northern New York Building and Construction Trades Council.