Transformational investment in the semiconductor and microelectronics sector is happening in upstate New York, driven by two core variables: talent and site readiness. Recently, Conor Eckert, vice president of business attraction for the Orange County Partnership, and I, in conjunction with partners from the Capital Region, toured SUNY Polytechnical Institute in Albany, one of the premier microelectronics research institutions in the world. SUNY Poly is delivering key research and skilled workforce to support the rapidly growing semiconductor industry – partnering with companies like Global Foundries and Micron.

We engaged with industry experts at SUNY Poly, discussing the once in a generation opportunity to participate in this burgeoning industry. The depth and scale of the semiconductor sector is significant and will pave way for an opportunity for us in Orange County – particularly in the supply chain. Broadly, the semiconductor supply chain will consist of manufacturing facilities for component parts, tools for the manufacturing process, and other suppliers for the existing and future chip-fab plants in New York and the Northeast. These projects require less infrastructure than fabs (Micron, Global Foundries, IBM, etc.), yet still have a significant economic impact by way of capital investment and the creation of skilled production jobs.

Given Orange County’s proximity to I-90 and the Capital Region, as well as Onsemi (a chip manufacturing facility) in Duchess County, we predict a significant opportunity in the supply chain if we prepare our sites, communities, and infrastructure for the potential of tremendous economic development activity.

This sector-opportunity sees no county bounds. We will continue to build state-wide relationships with a focus on site-preparedness, industry attraction and workforce partnerships. Without prepared sites, we will be left behind.