Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the CHIPS and Science Act is already bolstering upstate New York’s high-tech industry.
Schumer made stops at Albany Nanotech and GlobalFoundries in Malta on Monday.
The Democrat says the United States for too long has been reliant on foreign producers of semiconductors, putting national and economic security at risk. Noting that East Asia is responsible for 75% of global semiconductor production, Schumer announced the U.S. Labor Department and the National Institute for Innovation and Technology are partnering to create a career opportunity hub on the Albany campus.
“I wrote the CHIPS and Science bill so we could better compete with the Chinese government and rush to their own industries to boost our national security,” Schumer said. “But above all, by doing that, we will be creating jobs. And the career opportunity hub being launched here today is one of the key ways we can make sure that those thousands of jobs are being filled with upstate New Yorkers from K to 12. Because a lot of these jobs, you don’t need to, let alone a PhD, you don’t even need a college degree. You can work here.”
Schumer says the initiative is powered by a four-year, $9.6 million-dollar federal grant and will create a first of its kind semiconductor Registered Apprenticeship Program at Albany Nano, connecting students and workers to career opportunities with companies like GlobalFoundries, Applied Materials, and Plug Power.
He says such partnerships are key to ensuring the next generation has the skills to work in the semiconductor industry.
Schumer also announced computer chips used in defense and aerospace technology will be made by GlobalFoundries in Saratoga County.
“GlobalFoundries has located their state of the art Fab 8 in the Capital Region. I was involved in getting them here in the first place. And now they’re considering expanding further,” said Schumer.
Schumer says the strategic partnership between GlobalFoundries and Lockheed Martin will advance U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and improve national supply chains.
GlobalFoundries currently employs 2,500 people in Malta. Congressman Paul Tonko, a Democrat from the 20th district, says the Capital Region is the logical choice to establish a tech hub to serve the country.
“We have shovel ready sites, we have the infrastructure, we have a deep bench of know how,” said Tonko. “It only makes sense that New York would be the linchpin for national efforts to coordinate the National Science Technical Center activities and with that will come more jobs more investment, more opportunity. And with the opportunity hub and gains registered apprenticeship programs now here, thanks you very much for that good news, we’re prepared to take on a new generation of New Yorkers and develop them for these jobs. I’m confident that our region is the only place in the nation ready, and really raring to go to step up to the challenge.”
Tonko and Schumer have been working with federal agencies and private corporations for years on making the Capital Region the national chip fabrication center.
