The Times Union
Larry Rulison
Aug 31, 2024
Collaboration on chip design initiatives in New York state is part of effort to prepare New York for possibly hosting national chip lab
ALBANY — NY CREATES, the state-affiliated entity that operates the Albany NanoTech complex, is partnering with another local semiconductor industry nonprofit on chip design initiatives.
The nonprofit, NYDesign, was founded several years ago to develop a computer chip design cluster in New York state, with its headquarters in Troy. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Hudson Valley Community College in Troy are academic partners on the nonprofit, along with other upstate schools that prepare students for the chip industry like Cornell University and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
LaMar Hill and David Rooney, two of the most respected local leaders in economic development in the tech industry, are co-executive directors.
NY CREATES, which has its headquarters at the Albany NanoTech campus on Fuller Road across from the University of Albany, is currently in the running for billions of dollars in federal funding to host a new computer chip research and development center known as the National Semiconductor Technology Center.
The money comes from the $52 billion CHIPS and Science Act, a federal chip industry subsidy program envisioned by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. The money is being used to encourage chip companies to re-invest in manufacturing and research operations on U.S. soil to combat China's growing influence in the industry.
While New York is best known as a center for materials and manufacturing know-how for the chip industry, other parts of the country like Boston, Texas and Silicon Valley have more established chip design clusters that employ electrical engineers to design chip architecture. NYDesign was created to lure more chip design companies and workers to the state. RPI has a strong electrical engineering school, and UAlbany is expanding its engineering programs.
NY CREATES says it will be helping NYDesign with "strategic guidance and support" as part of the collaboration between the two organizations.
"The partnership reinforces New York’s collaborative leadership to produce a more skilled workforce by offering integrated circuit ... design training, streamlining the design process, and creating seamless access to program tools and intellectual property," NY CREATES said in a statement. "Together, these efforts will play a crucial role in bolstering workforce development initiatives throughout New York State and the semiconductor industry."
The collaboration strengthens the case NY CREATES has been building to have the federal government establish the NSTC headquarters and major research labs at Albany NanoTech and other parts of upstate. Other states with chip hubs, including Oregon, Ohio and Texas, are also vying to host the national chip lab or its research operations, which will include chip design programs.
“This collaboration with NY CREATES comes at a time when the world is faced with increasing demand for semiconductors, and at a time when New York is showing leadership in IC manufacturing,” Mark Reynolds, chair of the board of NYDesign said in a prepared statement.
“The goal of NYDesign has been to bolster academic partnerships to broaden access to IC design curricula for students at high school, community college, and university settings as well as corporate partners interested in custom design. This engagement, which acts to grow the design talent pool, will only add to the growth of IC design centers and related manufacturing across New York state.”
Read the full article here: https://www.timesunion.com/business/article/ny-creates-partner-chip-design-nonprofit-19733725.php