New Yorkers can start call I-90 the “semiconductor superhighway.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer already is after announcing a $40 million investment through the CHIPS Act that is coming to the state.
“In a few years, a quarter of all the chips manufactured in the United States will be along this corridor. Is that amazing?” Schumer said. “Not just a quarter of New York’s, but a quarter of all those in the United States of America. This is great.”
Schumer’s first stop Tuesday was in Syracuse to announce the “NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub,” consisting of the Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse areas, which were selected as one of 12 tech hubs to win the federal grant.
The region will be able to use the funds to build workforce training, strengthen existing manufacturing and attract new supply chains.
“The days when parents had to go to the airports and wave goodbye to their college graduates because they couldn’t find a job here and wanted to go somewhere else are over,” the senator said. “It’s the opposite now. Parents around the country are waving goodbye to their kids who are coming to Central New York.”
Schumer’s trip continued in Buffalo, where the tech development will provide not just necessary resources for American production, but also create thousands of jobs throughout upstate.
“We’re starting to see the jobs already,” he said. “Some of these companies are expanding. Edwards is bringing 600 jobs. Corning just expanded by 200 jobs. I think every month, you’re going to hear different job expansions as we go forward on this project.”
New York’s 25th District Rep. Joe Morelle said the funding will be perfectly utilized in a state with a long history of technical advancement.
“We face stiff competition around the world because people want to lead,” Morelle said. “But this is something that’s extraordinary to us and the spirit of discovery that inherently lies in this region. We’re going to continue to lead the nation and to continue to fight for this funding.”
