Schumer says regional effort led to tech-hub designation

DeWITT — As he announced the $40 million federal grant for the NY SMART I-Corridor tech hub on July 2, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) thanked all three cities involved — Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. “For the first time in decades, we’re seeing a shift, not just in the manufacturing landscape but [in] how the region works together,” Schumer said. The senator went on to say, “Originally, each city wanted to apply for a tech hub … Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse. That would’ve hurt our application. First, are they going to pick one or the other, and second, the combined strength of the region. The sum is greater than its parts, and each region is going to do all of the activities of the tech hub.” NY SMART I-Corridor is short for the New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor. The millions in federal funding are meant to “further position Upstate [New York] as a semiconductor center for the world,” Schumer’s office said in the announcement. “We are making I-90 America’s semiconductor superhighway, and in a few years, a quarter of all the chips manufactured in the United States will be along this corridor,” Schumer said in his remarks. The lawmaker announced the funding during a morning visit to Inficon Inc. at 2 Technology Place, off Fly Road in the town of DeWitt. “This is a monumental day for upstate New York,” Schumer said to open his address. “One that I have long envisioned and spent years fighting for.” The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub is the “first in the nation” to receive a major tech-hub award from Schumer’s CHIPS & Science Law, the Democrat noted. Schumer had announced the tech-hub designation for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse during a visit last October to Saab Inc’s Syracuse operations in DeWitt. The tech-hub designation was created as part of the federal CHIPS & Science Law. When the competition started, 400 regions applied for the funding and 31 were designated tech hubs. Only 12 are getting advanced financing for the tech-hub program, Schumer said. “It’s going to train the next generation of our workforce. It’s going to fill in gaps to make sure that Micron’s $100 billion investment not only attracts new supply-chain companies but also helps existing companies grow and enter into the semiconductor field,” Schumer told those gathered at Inficon, including local officials and Inficon employees watching on the stairs and from the upper floors. He went on to say that the funding will help power new startups as we commercialize the research and activities done by some of the regions companies and chip fabrication plants, including Inficon. The senator called the award prestigious, noting that when international firms look to have a location in the U.S., they’ll look at the regions with a tech-hub designation, including upstate New York. “I met with a whole group of Japanese semiconductor suppliers and a whole bunch of Taiwanese semiconductor suppliers, 20 or 30 of each, and pushed our I-90 semiconductor superhighway, so it really helps,” Schumer said. He also boasted that, “It sure didn’t hurt to have the [U.S.] Senate Majority Leader calling the White House and the Commerce Secretary [Gina Raimondo] to tell them upstate New York is the perfect choice for the future of [American] chips.”

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The event speakers also included Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon who told the gathering that the $40 million award is “going to make us more competitive.” “It’s going to make our workforce stronger and more inclusive. It’s going to create opportunities for a startup ecosystem but also for companies that are here, and then that makes us more competitive as we’re courting companies across the world,” McMahon said. In his remarks, Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, praised the work of Schumer for his legislative efforts, including the legislation that became the CHIPS & Science Act that includes the tech-hub program. “Senator Schumer is responsible for helping to deliver this tech hub to the entire upstate New York corridor,” Simpson told the assembled audience. “When we work together, we win,” whether it’s in Central New York or all across upstate New York. He acknowledged the efforts of Dottie Gallagher, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Joseph Stefko, president of ROC2025 and NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub regional innovation officer, and Ben Sio, senior VP for strategy, policy, and planning at CenterState CEO. “It is these kinds of collaborations that allow us to be better than what we have been in the past; to transcend that historical perspective of upstate New York; and to craft this region with a new vision as … New York’s semiconductor superhighway,” Simpson said. Standing around Schumer and also speaking at the event included Hannah Henley, president of Inficon, Inc.; J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation at Syracuse University; Greg Lancette, president of the Central-Northern New York Building & Construction Trades Council; and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. U.S. Representative Brandon Williams (R–Sennett) also issued a statement about the federal funding that same day. “Central New York, the Silicon Empire, is the beating heart of semiconductor production right here in the United States,” Williams said. “I’ve been working with colleagues in Congress, across the aisle and across Upstate New York, to advance this priority. It’s a win for our communities, and I’m immensely proud to be a part of this milestone.” In a separate statement, U.S. Representative Claudia Tenney (R–Cleveland) said the region’s selection for phase II funding “further underscores the strength and promise” of the region. “With this additional investment into the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse corridor and its designation as a Regional Technology and Innovation Hub, our region will be at the forefront of innovative advancements benefiting our nation, and the world,” Tenney said. “This funding will onshore critical parts of our nation’s supply chain, bringing jobs to our communities and promoting technological advancement. I am eager to see the positive impact this funding will have on our community.”