Governor Kathy Hochul on Sep 18th, celebrated $30 million in awards from the federal Department of Defense (DoD) for the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH), the New York State-headquartered hub for the U.S. Microelectronics Commons program. Four innovative projects by hub participants have been selected in the technical areas of Quantum Technology and Commercial Leap Ahead Technology, which includes power electronics, magnetics, and integrated photonics. The dedicated work on these advanced projects is already underway.

“This significant investment for NORDTECH will provide a major boost to our economy and further establish New York as a global leader in technology,” Governor Hochul said. “I want to thank the Biden-Harris administration, Majority Leader Schumer, and all of our federal partners who passed the CHIPS and Science Act, which has helped build the next generation of semiconductor and microelectronic research, manufacturing, and job training right here in New York.”

NORDTECH Technical Director Nicholas Fahrenkopf said, “NORDTECH is honored to have our projects selected by the Department of Defense to accelerate the maturation of novel microelectronics technologies. These newly funded research collaborations consisting of more than 20 different government and academic experts underscore our collective strength and dedication to meeting the Department of Defense's needs with high-end technological solutions.”

The Microelectronics Commons was formed to create a direct pathway to reduce the country’s reliance on foreign microelectronics and safeguard the nation from supply chain risks. NORDTECH is a regional consortium of government labs, defense companies, academic institutions, and technology manufacturing organizations in New York State and one of eight hubs composing the U.S. Microelectronics Commons program. NORDTECH’s five founding members, who comprise the hub’s leadership team and governance committee, include the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES), the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and IBM.

A full list of funded projects led by NY CREATES, AIM Photonics and Cornell University, Cornell, and Rochester Institute of Technology, respectively, can be found here: www.nordtechub.org/nordtech-news/dod-award.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, “Upstate NY is leading the future of innovation for America’s national security in the chip industry. Upstate NY’s top research institutions from Cornell and RIT to NY CREATES and more are now partnering with the Department of Defense to make the technology that will drive this industry for the next century. This significant $27+ million puts Upstate NY in the driver’s seat for the discoveries that the chip and defense industry say will be pivotal to the future of this technology. I crafted my CHIPS & Science Law with Upstate NY as my north star, because I knew that with targeted federal investments communities across New York could bring this industry back from overseas to America. Now from the Capital Region to Central NY to Western NY that is happening and this major award from the Department of Defense will help us seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to drive new innovation and to train our workers to make sure major breakthroughs for the future of this technology are discovered and made here in the Empire State.”

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “This $30+ million in federal funding for NORDTECH will not only advance the cutting-edge research and development that is happening in New York State but will also provide a major boost to our national security,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I am thrilled to see DoD making this vital investment and will continue to fight to secure federal support to boost the microelectronics manufacturing industry in New York State.”

Representative Paul Tonko said, “When I fought to get our CHIPS and Science Act through Congress and signed into law, investments like this one were exactly what I had in mind. With this significant influx of federal funding, our state will continue to serve as a global hub for advanced technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence — creating good-paying jobs and strengthening our local economies while also bolstering our national security. I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for providing NORDTECH with the resources it needs to advance these groundbreaking projects, and I remain committed to ensuring that New York continues to lead on the world stage by driving innovation and growth in the emerging microelectronics industry.”

Representative Joe Morelle said, “This $30 million award is yet another example of New York State’s leadership in semiconductor innovation and manufacturing, and I’m grateful to the Department of Defense and the Biden Administration for recognizing our region’s immense potential. Paired with our historic Regional Technology Hub designation, this award for NORDTECH will help ensure our competitiveness on the national and global stages. I look forward to working with NORDTECH and all my partners to continuing challenging what we know to be possible and writing the next chapter of our innovation story.”

Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “I am thrilled that the Department of Defense has awarded $30 million to NORDTECH projects, this extraordinary investment marks a transformative moment for New York's role in advancing the future of defense technology. Under my leadership the New York Senate Majority has made significant investments to support the growth of New York's microelectronics manufacturing from the expansion of the Excelsior Jobs program to the Green Chips program and our ongoing support of NY CREATES, as well as the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE). We are committed to continue fostering an atmosphere of entrepreneurship and technological advancement to ensure that New York continues to lead the nation with innovative research collaborations that will have a transformative impact in our burgeoning domestic microelectronics manufacturing industry.”

NY CREATES' Vice President of Research Dr. Satyavolu Papa Rao said, “We are grateful that the Department of Defense has recognized the groundbreaking potential of this project, and the excellence of the team that will deliver the results. This selection for a federal award is a testament to the cutting-edge research at NY CREATES toward creating scalable quantum technologies, and the leadership of the team members in the many aspects of qubit design and fabrication. We are excited to start executing on this important effort, to pave the way for significant advancements in quantum technologies by a vibrant and growing quantum community. We are committed to the hard work required to make a lasting impact that will enhance national security and drive improvements in the field of quantum computing.”

AIM Photonics Development Manager Dr. Lewis Carpenter said, “AIM Photonics’ proposal is in response to the DoD’s growing interest in quantum photonic technologies as specified in the Microelectronics Commons project calls. Quantum Ultra-broadband Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (QUPICS) offers a quantum photonic platform that would give capability for commercial and DoD applications that could significantly enhance the types of chip-scale quantum optoelectronic systems working in the visible, near infrared, and infrared. QUPICS will enable the integration of key technologies, which will be a game changer for trapped ion, neutral atom, and photonic quantum technologies.”

Cornell Vice President for Research and Innovation Dr. Krystyn Van Vliet said, "This first round of the Microelectronics Commons' technical research projects selected by the Department of Defense through NORDTECH marks the beginning of a new opportunity to move great new ideas more nimbly from lab to fab to prototype. Out of many compelling proposals to move great ideas in microelectronics materials and devices from lab to fab, these teams including several co-led or partnered with Cornell researchers were selected to sprint and pressure test this national experiment to accelerate and stabilize microelectronics manufacturing innovation in the US. These new project teams of industry, academia, and federal labs -- will also have access to equipment in expertly staffed facilities like those at Cornell that are part of NORDTECH's ecosystem. I am looking forward to all that Cornell researchers and their project partners across New York and the U.S. will contribute to NORDTECH and the Microelectronics Commons. Projects like the one co-led by Cornell's Dr. Karan Mehta to advance quantum technology, and the one led by Cornell's Dr. Debdeep Jena on materials-enabled advances key to powering electronics can show the power of diverse research teams in action. Not only will these project teams aim to demonstrate leap-aheads on technical challenges in microelectronics materials and devices using the NORDTECH ecosystem, these project teams will also foster the next generation of ambitious, creative US talent pipeline that better connect the dots between lab to fab, between discovery and utility, and between societal need to societal benefit.”

Rochester Institute of Technology Vice President of Research and Associate Provost Dr. Ryne Raffaelle said, “RIT takes great pride in being at the forefront of microelectronics and information science since their inception. Working with our partners in the DoD Microelectronic Commons NORDTECH Hub and the Air Force Research Lab on future quantum networks ensures that we will continue to play an important role in these areas and the future of our nation’s industrial base in these critical technologies. I am tremendously excited about using our, and the other chip fabrication infrastructure in our region and state, to help realize the promise of quantum tech and increase U.S. competitiveness and economic impact for our nation.”

Governor Hochul’s Innovation Agenda

This federal award builds on Governor Hochul’s commitment to driving innovation across New York State to attract major employers and create good-paying, 21st century jobs. As part of her FY25 Enacted Budget, the Governor secured a $275 million investment in Empire AI, a consortium of seven founding institutions that will create and launch a state-of-the-art artificial intelligence computing center in Buffalo that will put New York State at the cutting-edge of AI research.

Governor Hochul also signed New York’s historic Green CHIPS legislation to drive semiconductor research, development, and manufacturing in New York State and announced a $10 billion partnership to bring next-generation chips research to NY CREATES’ Albany NanoTech Complex. By leveraging federal CHIPS and Science Act incentive opportunities with state funding, the Governor's initiatives have unlocked historic investments from the semiconductor industry, including a $100 billion investment from Micron to build a world-class chipmaking facility and create 50,000 jobs in Central New York, as well as investments from GlobalFoundries, IBM, TTM Technologies, Menlo Micro and other semiconductor and supply chain businesses.

In addition, the Governor has continued to advance a $620 million Life Science Initiative to support innovation in biomedical research. And through strategic investments like the $113.7 million Battery-NY initiative, Governor Hochul has fueled the growth of the sustainability, green technology, and energy storage economies in New York State.

The Governor’s innovation agenda has catalyzed major public and private investments, transforming New York’s economy and creating good-paying jobs of the future. GlobalFoundries recently announced an $11.6 billion investment to expand its chip manufacturing campus in New York’s Capital Region, creating 1,500 direct jobs and thousands of indirect jobs. In 2022, Micron announced a 20-year, $100 billion investment to create a megafab campus in Central New York, creating 50,000 new direct and indirect jobs and unlocking hundreds of millions of dollars in community benefits. The Governor’s Life Science Initiative helped to solidify New York’s selection for the $300 million Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York, a biomedical research hub in New York City, and significant investments from Schrödinger, Inc., Deerfield Discovery and Development, and other life sciences businesses. Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation also announced a $160 million investment in Binghamton University’s New Energy New York Storage Engine to establish a hub for innovation, technology translation, and workforce development to grow the capacity of the domestic battery industry.

About the Northeast Regional Defense Technology Hub (NORDTECH)

NORDTECH is a regional coalition of public and private sector experts in the Microelectronics Commons region in and around New York State, established in September 2023 as part of the first major award from the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act. NORDTECH’s five founding members who compose the leadership team and governance committee of the hub include: the New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES), the University at Albany College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering (CNSE), Cornell University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), and IBM. NORDTECH’s board is advised by diverse participating member organizations, including small and medium semiconductor manufacturing companies, universities and community colleges, and major corporations that are service providers and leaders in semiconductor device design, fabrication and production. Learn more at nordtechub.org.