Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo Win $40 Million to Build ‘Semiconductor Highway’

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK — Another $40 million is on its way to upstate New York to solidify the region as a U.S. leader in semiconductor manufacturing.

The federal award is the first of its kind for the Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo Tech Hub. The trio won the designation as a group in October under the Chips and Science Act. Officially named the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub, the $40 million will flow to dozens of companies, colleges and universities and others to train workers, build infrastructure and attract the supply chain companies needed to make large-scale projects like Micron’s successful.

“In a few years, a quarter of all the chips made in the United States will be along this corridor, isn’t that incredible?” Senator Schumer said.

The Senate majority leader visited Inficon’s headquarters in East Syracuse on Tuesday to make the announcement, surrounded by local political and business leaders. Some of them will indirectly be in control of portions of the $40 million as they work to fill local workforce and infrastructure gaps.

Sen. Schumer’s office estimates that by 2034, there will be about 10,000 jobs that the “semiconductor superhighway” connecting Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo won’t be able to fill. Greg Lancette, president of the Building Trades Council of Central and Upstate New York, believes the funding will help ensure that workers are there, thanks to training already underway in various job areas.

“Each of the projects will have a construction component,” Lancette said, “there is no doubt about the intent and magnitude of what is to come.”

Syracuse University is one of several colleges involved; SU is leading a project aimed at connecting minority-owned businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises with semiconductor equipment or marketing tools.

The university has already invested millions to expand its engineering program, providing pathways for local students through a partnership with Onondaga Community College. University Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie said the tech hub designation, combined with the Micron project, represents a transformative opportunity for students who in the past had reasons to leave the area after graduation.

“There’s now a reason to stay in central New York,” Haynie said.

According to Centerstate CEO Rob Simpson, the initiative doesn’t just help improve the economies of cities that desperately need a boost. He also points out that the fact that upstate New York is poised to become the leading region in the United States for semiconductor manufacturing is a gravitational factor, with cities like Syracuse now established globally in the sector.

“The most important foundational element of our economic competitiveness and our national security, semiconductors, is where the federal government has chosen to make this bet and we couldn’t be prouder,” Simpson said.

The federal award has bipartisan support, both locally and among other federal officials representing Syracuse. Republican Rep. Brandon Williams said Tuesday that central New York is now the “silicon empire” and the “beating heart of semiconductor manufacturing” in the United States.