Press release:
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer met with Micron Technology President and CEO, Sanjay Mehrotra, to pitch Micron to locate a future plant in Upstate New York after filing the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act* last week.
The legislation combines his Endless Frontiers Act, other bipartisan competitiveness bills, and $52 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to implement the semiconductor-related manufacturing and R&D programs authorized in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act. It also supports a legacy chip production program that is essential to the auto industry, the military, and other critical industries.
During his meeting with Mehrotra, the senator said New York boasts several sites across Upstate ready to be home to a new Micron facility -- from the STAMP** campus in Western New York (in Genesee County's Alabama) and the White Pines campus in Central New York, to Marcy Nanocenter in the Mohawk Valley and Luther Forest in the Capitol Region.
Schumer expressed his strong support for the project coming to the Empire State. As new federal incentives are being considered, Micron is evaluating opportunities to strengthen the company’s manufacturing and R&D footprint.
“Micron’s interest in exploring options to expand its footprint in the U.S., and potentially in Upstate NY, is exciting news for the entire state and country. I made it clear to Micron that I strongly support locating a cutting-edge memory fab at one of the several shovel-ready sites across New York and reiterated that Upstate NY’s robust semiconductor industry makes it the perfect place for Micron to settle,” Senator Schumer said.
“Our world-class manufacturing workforce combined with New York’s considerable experience in semiconductor manufacturing and R&D means the state is revving and ready to welcome a new facility. I stand ready to help Micron harness all that the federal government has to offer for the U.S. to continue to lead the semiconductor industry and cement New York as a global hub for high-tech manufacturing.”
Schumer added, “When I first announced my proposal to create the first-ever new federal semiconductor manufacturing and R&D incentives program, I said it could put sites across New York in contention for landing new semiconductor fabs and the thousands of new jobs that follow.
"I filed the bill to fully fund my proposal last week and am working to have the Senate pass the bill by the end of this week, but already it has sparked consideration by companies like Micron to expand domestically.
"Once we are able to pass the emergency funding into law, I will work to secure the federal investment necessary and offer my all-out support to help Upstate compete for this plant and other facilities that will help shore up our domestic semiconductor supply.”
Schumer pointed out, the United States has gone from producing 24 percent of the world’s semiconductors in 2000, to just 12 percent, while China by comparison, has gone from producing zero chips to 16 percent of the world’s supply. This is because the United States is not matching the investments that other competing nations are making in order to land new job-creating semiconductor chip fabs.
The historic U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, will provide federal incentives to semiconductor fabs in the United States, helping to reverse the trend of foreign-made semiconductors and level the playing field for companies like Micron to build new fabs in the United States.
Schumer said Micron is a strong supporter of CHIPS and passage, along with strong government support for a project, would increase their consideration of building new fabs like this one in the United States.
Micron is the only manufacturer of semiconductor memory and storage solutions in the United and the world’s fourth-largest semiconductor company. Employing more than 40,000 people in 17 countries, Micron is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, where it operates one of the world’s most advanced R&D centers, and has a strong U.S. manufacturing presence in Manassas, Va.
*U.S. Innovation and Competition Act -- section by section summary here, pdf / legislation text here, pdf
**STAMP is the acronym for Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park.
