Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse Tech Hub Wins $40 Million for Semiconductor Innovation

The University of Rochester is a lead partner in the three-region consortium focused on semiconductor manufacturing and innovation.

The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub, of which the University of Rochester is a lead partner, has been selected as one of 12 national Tech Hub award winners and is receiving $40 million in funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to elevate the thriving semiconductor industry in upstate New York. NY SMART I-Corridor Technology Center spans the Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse region and has mobilized more than 100 institutions, bringing together commitments from industry, academia, labor, nonprofits, government and other members of the private sector.

The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub award follows last year’s designation of the three cities as a national technology hub.

“As a lead partner in the NY SMART I-Corridor consortium, the University of Rochester is beyond excited about today’s transformative announcement and I thank the Economic Development Administration for recognizing our potential with this award,” said President Sarah Mangelsdorf. “I firmly believe that no region has more momentum as a center of innovation-driven growth, and this funding will allow us to leverage our collective strengths and assets to build an ever-brighter future together as a global leader in semiconductor research and manufacturing. I applaud Senator (Charles) Schumer’s vision and leadership in establishing this program through the historic CHIPS and Science Act, and his efforts to showcase the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region’s potential to become a hub for semiconductor innovation.” I also want to acknowledge the unwavering support of local champions like MP (Joseph) Morelle who brought the region together and set us up for success.”

At an event in Rochester on July 2 at Monroe Community College’s (MCC) downtown campus, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Schumer, U.S. Rep. Morelle and local leaders and partners, including Peter Robinson, the university’s vice president for government and community relations, celebrated the prestigious federal designation as a Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse Region Tech Hub, created through the CHIPS and Science Act.

Schumer announced that the $40 million will be used to “energize the I-90 corridor as America’s superconductor superhighway.” That means that in a few years, a quarter of all semiconductors manufactured in the United States of America will be manufactured within a few miles of our I-90 corridor.

“And,” Schumer added, “we have two of the greatest innovation universities here, the University of Rochester and RIT.”

Said Morelle: “Last fall when we made those initial announcements, we were very excited, but we knew the competition was going to be tough with 400 different regions applying. It’s pretty amazing when there are 400 applications and only 12 are selected in the entire country and we’re one of them. And the only one in the microelectronics supply chain.”

Last October, Schumer announced that the three-region consortium was one of 31 regions selected for Tech Hub designation and that the region’s NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal was competing for the next phase of the Tech Hubs program. Since the designation announcement, the NY SMART I-Corridor has brought together the combined assets of Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse to help the region become a globally recognized semiconductor manufacturing hub over the next decade, with innovation focused on improving the quality and quantity of semiconductor manufacturing while amplifying the region’s microelectronics and microchip supply chain ecosystem.

The Buffalo-Syracuse-Rochester consortium initially beat out nearly 400 initial applications in the first phase of the Tech Hubs competition and was one of 31 proposals selected for the federal Tech Hub designation that allowed them to compete for this funding award.

Read New York State Governor Kathy Hochul’s announcement.