Contractors complete steel structure on Quad-C of Nano Utica project

MARCY — Construction crews have completed the steel structure ahead of schedule in the construction of the $125 million computer-chip commercialization center (Quad-C). The office of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo today acknowledged it in a news release as a “key” moment in the first phase of Cuomo’s $1.5 billion Nano Utica initiative.  

The State University of New York College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY CNSE) and the SUNY Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) are spearheading the effort.

Nano Utica is the public-private partnership that Cuomo announced last October that’s intended to bring more than 1,500 jobs to the region.

It’s also meant to “further define New York as the global leader in nanotechnology-based research and development,” Cuomo’s office said in the news release.

“Not only will this project create over a thousand new high-skilled, high-paying jobs, but it marks New York’s emergence as a world leader in the nanotechnology sector. Quad-C will be the catalyst for nanotechnology innovation, education, and economic development in New York. The project is ahead of schedule and exciting things lay ahead,” Cuomo said in the news release.

Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy presided over the ceremony in Marcy.

“With great thanks to Gov. Cuomo’s strategic vision for growth, the past three years have proven to be enormous for the nanotechnology industry in many regions of the state. The latest announcement here today in Utica, that construction on the Quad-C facility is ahead of schedule, helps to ensure the continued development and utilization of everything that the Mohawk Valley has to offer,” Duffy said in the news release.

Crews will complete construction on Quad-C by the end of 2014, Cuomo’s office said.

The 253,000-square-foot facility will include 56,000 square feet of Class 1 capable clean-room space stacked on two levels.

An annual operating budget of over $500 million will support 1,500 high-tech jobs and the establishment of academic programs and cutting-edge workforce training opportunities.

The Quad-C is an “integral” part of Cuomo’s Nano Utica initiative, featuring six global technology companies that will invest $1.5 billion to create a regional hub for nanotechnology-based innovation, education, and economic development, the governor’s office said.

Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions Inc. (ANSI), Albany–based SEMATECH, Germany–based Atotech, along with SEMATECH and CNSE partner companies, which include Armonk, N.Y.–based IBM Corp., Fremont, Calif.–based Lam Research Corp. (NASDAQ: LRCX), and Tokyo Electron, Ltd., are leading the consortium that will create Nano Utica, the governor’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com