Biden visits Syracuse, says American manufacturing is back

SYRACUSE — With Micron planning to invest $100 billion over 20 years to build a chip #manufacturing facility in central New York, President Joe #Biden #says #American #manufacturing #is #back.

Biden, who was in Syracuse Thursday, formally announced a preliminary award of $6.1 billion from the CHIPS and Science Act to support the construction of Micron’s memory chip fabs in central New York. # He also announced that a workforce hub would be established in upstate New York to train semiconductor #manufacturing workers.

The visit was a follow-up to Biden’s last official central New York stop in 2022, when he celebrated Micron’s plan. # The company announced its investment in the Syracuse area two months after #Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to boost domestic semiconductor #manufacturing.

Memory chips were invented in the US, but production shifted to Asia over time. # Taiwan #is the leading producer of semiconductors.

“We’re bringing advanced chip #manufacturing #back to America after 40 years,” #Biden said.

The event, which was held at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology, allowed federal, state and local leaders to take another victory lap as the Micron project reached its latest milestone.

Govt. # Kathy Hochul, who greeted #Biden at the airport and one of the speakers at the museum, reminded the crowd of the work to attract Micron to central New York. # The CHIPS and Science Act was a key piece, along with the state’s Green CHIPS legislation that will provide billions in additional incentives for the project.

“I wasn’t going to lose to some other state that could jump ahead of us,” Hochul said.

The federal and state funding was important, but it helped that Onondaga County had the land. # Micron’s future home #is the White Pine Business Park in the town of Clay.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said those pieces — the incentives and the site — helped Micron make the largest investment in its history and the largest private investment in the US and New York.

“This #is a historic day in our community,” McMahon added.

The CHIPS and Science Act funding #is significant because it will support the construction of Micron’s first two chip fabs in Onondaga County. # A portion of the award will be used to construct a fab at the company’s Idaho headquarters, where it has a research and development facility.

The fabs in central New York will open in 2028 and 2029, according to #Biden administration officials.

“We have received such a warm welcome here and we are excited to build our future here,” Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra said.

The two projects in Idaho and New York will create more than 70,000 jobs, with most of those jobs in the Syracuse area. # Micron’s fabs in central New York will employ 9,000 people, with an additional 40,000 construction and supply-chain jobs.

Many of the jobs, #Biden noted, will have annual salaries topping $100,000.

“It’s not just about investing in America. It’s investing in the #American people as well,” he said.