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Empire State Development details semiconductor, AI and site‑readiness strategy
Summary
ESD officials told the Assembly committee that state investments including Fast NY, a $500 million high‑NA EUV center, and Empire AI are central to attracting chipmakers and scaling research; ESD said partnerships with private firms and SUNY campuses will be used to build facilities and workforce pipelines, with main deployments expected through 2025–2026.
Empire State Development (ESD) officials on Tuesday described a multi‑pronged push to solidify New York’s role in semiconductor manufacturing, high‑performance computing and research infrastructure.
Hope Knight, president and CEO of ESD, told members of the Assembly Committee on Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry that the agency has been focused on attracting manufacturers and building the sites and workforce that will support them. She pointed to the Fast New York program, which ESD said has awarded $200,000,000 to 25 sites, and to a state‑sponsored high‑NA EUV lithography tool intended for research and development. “The tool is expected to be delivered at the end of 2025 because the building has to be at a certain state of construction for it to be delivered and installed,” Knight said. She characterized the acquisition as part of a larger roughly $10,000,000,000 public‑private partnership with industry collaborators.
Kevin Yunus (name varied in the transcript) and other ESD staff described how the procurement and on‑site facilities are being organized to support R&D, training and scaled manufacturing. ESD said the EUV tool will be used for R&D to help companies perfect processes and that major international chipmakers and research organizations will be partners and customers. ESD described the tool as essential for development of the world’s most advanced chips and said Micron will use multiple similar tools in Syracuse for production.
ESD also described Empire AI — a consortium of universities and research institutions established as a 501(c)(3) — as a separate pillar supporting high‑power computing and AI research tied to life‑sciences and semiconductor innovation. Knight said Empire AI has an interim CEO, adopted bylaws and that SUNY had released a request for proposals on site design; two sites on the University at Buffalo campus were identified as potential locations.
Why it matters: Lawmakers pressed ESD for specific delivery schedules, partner lists and infrastructure timelines. Committee members said those details are central to coordinating energy upgrades, workforce training and site preparation. ESD representatives repeatedly emphasized public‑private partnerships and said many projects will roll out over multi‑year build‑outs, giving time to line up renewable energy and grid upgrades.
What’s next: ESD officials said they would follow up with more granular timelines and partner lists. Several legislators and regional stakeholders used the hearing to press for increased Fast NY and site‑readiness funding to keep the state competitive in reshoring microelectronics supply chains.
