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Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region designated prestigious federal Tech Hub

SEMICONDUCTOR SUPERHIGHWAY: A quantum processor semiconductor chip connected to a circuit board in a lab at the University of Rochester, a lead partner for the region’s NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub. (University of Rochester photo / J. Adam Fenster)

The University of Rochester is an educational and lead partner for the three-region consortium focused on semiconductor manufacturing and innovation.

At a Rochester event on Monday held at University of Rochester-affiliate NextCorps, US Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer along with US Representative Joe Morelle, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, University of Rochester Vice President for Research Steve Dewhurst, and local leaders announced that the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region won the prestigious federal Tech Hub designation created in the CHIPS and Science Act, putting Upstate New York further on the road to becoming America’s semiconductor superhighway.

Schumer said that the three-region consortium—of which the University of Rochester is an educational and lead partner—is one of only 31 regions selected for the Tech Hub designation. The region’s NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal will now be able to compete for the next phase of the Tech Hubs Program that will invest between $50 and $75 million in each of five to 10 designated hubs. With this designation, the NY SMART I-Corridor will bring together the combined assets of Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse to help the region become a globally recognized semiconductor manufacturing hub in the next decade, with innovation focused on improving the quality and quantity of semiconductor manufacturing and, along with it, amplifying the region’s microelectronics and microchip supply chain ecosystem.

Said University President Sarah Mangelsdorf: “The University of Rochester is proud to partner with key stakeholders in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse to leverage our collective strengths and assets to be a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. No region is better positioned to become an innovation center, and this collaboration is made possible through the vision and leadership of Senator Schumer and with the critical support of Representative Morelle. I want to thank them both for their incredible efforts as well as the other members of our delegation for their support. The University is excited to roll up our sleeves to advance the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse Tech Hub application to the next phase so that we can build a more prosperous, inclusive, and equitable future for upstate New York that strengthens US national security and global competitiveness.”


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