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Originally posted here.
Menlo Micro, Which Already Has A Strong Presence In Albany, Is Considering Several New York Locations As They Conduct A National Search For The Site Of Their New Chip Fab; Schumer Emphasizes To CEO That NYS Sites From The Capital Region To Rochester Are Prime For Investment
Schumer Has Proposed Historic Investment To Implement Federal Semiconductor Manufacturing And R&D Incentives So Microchips Can Be Made In The USA
Schumer To Menlo Micro CEO: Picking NY Will Be A Win-Win-Win, Growing Local Economy, Creating New Manufacturing Jobs, And Expanding Menlo Micro’s Presence In NY’s Robust Tech Industry
Adding to his continued advocacy to make New York a global semiconductor-manufacturing hub, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer personally called Menlo Micro CEO, Russ Garcia, about the company’s interest in expanding their operations in the U.S., and urged the CEO to locate their next microelectronics fabrication (“fab”) facility in New York. Menlo Micro is currently considering New York, along with several other locations around the country, for a new investment that is expected to exceed $150 million over five years to build a semiconductor fab plant that would create at least 160 jobs. Menlo Micro’s global headquarters is based in California, but it’s Menlo East headquarters is based out of New York’s Albany Nanotech Complex, and the company was founded out of an effort by General Electric, Corning, and others to commercialize a new microelectronic component, the Ideal Switch, which will revolutionize energy distribution, wireless communications, defense and aerospace industries, and consumer electronics by making electronics smaller, faster, and more efficient and powerful.
“Menlo Micro’s interest in further expanding its manufacturing operations potentially in New York is exciting news for the entire state and would bring further investment and innovation to the state’s already humming microchip industry. I made it clear to Menlo’s CEO that I strongly support locating their new cutting-edge microelectronics fab in New York, and our multiple shovel ready sites from Rochester to the Capital Region and beyond are the perfect location for Menlo Micro’s new investment and job creation,” said Senator Schumer. “New York has all the ingredients to supercharge and revive the U.S. chip and broader microelectronics industry, from our powerhouse workforce to our globally recognized R&D which Menlo has experienced firsthand at Albany Nanotech. New York has it all and is tailor-made to be the home for Menlo’s next fab. I stand ready to help Menlo Micro in any way for an investment in New York and will continue to fight to further cement New York as a global hub for electronics manufacturing.”
“As we continue to evaluate the best location to build a next generation manufacturing base for Menlo Micro’s ‘Ideal Switch,’ it was a pleasure to speak with Leader Schumer about the opportunity and potential New York State holds,”
Russ Garcia, CEO of Menlo Micro.
Schumer said that Upstate New York boasts a thriving semiconductor ecosystem, top-notch universities, a world-class workforce, and a diversity of companies across the supply chain. Schumer also highlighted his major push to make the Albany Nanotech Complex, where Menlo currently conducts R&D into next-generation semiconductor components, the a leading hub of the nation’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). Just last month Schumer brought U.S. Commerce Deputy Secretary Don Graves, to the Albany Nanotech Complex, where he and New York Governor Kathy Hochul provided a personal tour of the world-class facility to pitch Upstate New York as the home to the NSTC and as a premier location for the microchip industry’s investment.
Senator Schumer has a long history of fighting to advance semiconductor manufacturing and R&D in Upstate New York. In June 2021, Schumer successfully passed through the Senate the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), legislation he introduced that combined his Endless Frontier Act to make a significant investment in research, development, manufacturing and innovation, other bipartisan competitiveness bills, and $52 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations to implement the semiconductor-related manufacturing and R&D programs the senator authorized in the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. Schumer is now actively working with President Biden and Speaker Pelosi to secure final passage of USICA into law.
