Albany lands flagship $825 million federal semiconductor tech center

The New York capital city will be the site of the first CHIPS for America research and development flagship facility aimed at advancing semiconductor technology. 

The National Semiconductor Technology Center’s new Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Accelerator will be supported by a federal investment of $825 million and will operate within NY CREATES’ NanoTech complex in Albany, a publicly-owned 300mm semiconductor R&D center, the Department of Commerce announced last month. 

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In EUV lithography, light is used to print patterns and make chips on wafers. The technology is used to manufacture smaller, faster and more efficient microchips, which is critical to enable the high-volume production of smaller transistors beyond 7 nanometers, which was previously unattainable. 

The need for smaller transistors is driven by the growing demand for faster, more powerful computers that can fit into smaller devices like smartphones. 

“With two decades of proven experience fostering effective public-private partnerships and more than $25 billion invested in semiconductor R&D, manufacturing and workforce development since its founding, NY CREATES is uniquely positioned to support the NSTC’s mission to provide an open environment to accelerate research, reduce time to commercialization, and grow a sustainable semiconductor ecosystem in the U.S.,” said Laurie Locascio, National Institute of Standards and Technology director. 

The New York facility will be the first of three in the nation, Commerce says. 

NY CREATES and Natcast, the operator of the NSTC, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to support establishing the new EUV Accelerator in New York.  

The CHIPS for America EUV Accelerator will be managed by Natcast and accessible to NSTC members and Natcast researchers from across the country.  

Next steps for NY CREATES and Natcast include negotiating a contract with the final terms and conditions, Commerce said. 

Photo by Maxence Pira on Unsplash