May 15, 2007 — International SEMATECH, the consortium of nanoelectronics manufacturers, has announced a major expansion of its existing research and development program at the Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics and Nanotechnology at the University at Albany (UAlbany) in New York. The expansion is the largest in the history of the consortium, and the seven-year agreement will significantly expand the consortium’s New York operations.
As part of the partnership with UAlbany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE), International SEMATECH has agreed to locate its headquarters in Albany, increase its workforce by 450 jobs over three years, and provide $25 million to fund research at colleges and universities at five centers around the state. To facilitate this expansion, legislative leaders agreed to introduce and pass shortly a bill providing $300 million in funding which will be made available over five years to help SEMATECH purchase advanced semiconductor process equipment.
SEMATECH has made a financial commitment of $300 million in cash and in-kind contributions. The project will support new research at the Nanotech Center in Albany as well as serve as an additional resource supporting existing operations of SEMATECH members in the Hudson Valley and the Capital Region.
New Yorl’s funding, introduced by the legislature, will be used to both build state-of-the-art infrastructure and acquire advanced semiconductor tooling. In addition, $25 million of the funds will be devoted to research at colleges and universities at five centers around the state, including the Nanoscale Metrology and Imaging Center in Albany.
In 2002, International SEMATECH (Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology) brought global attention to the strength of New York State’s academic research and development facilities for semiconductor technology when it chose Albany — over competing bids from sites in the U.S., Europe and the Pacific Rim — as the site for its first center outside of Austin, TX. Since that time, SEMATECH North has become a leader in the development and commercialization of leading-edge nanolithography technology.
In addition, SEMATECH North provided a critical mass of nanotechnology intellectual assets and state-of-the-art infrastructure at UAlbany that allowed for the creation of the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and its rapid rise to a global resource for research and education in nanoscience and nanoengineering.