Schumer announces $750 million investment for Marcy Nanocenter

MARCY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — Senator Charles Schumer announced a substantial investment for the Marcy Nanocenter on Tuesday morning, thanks to the Senator’s CHIPS Act.

The Senator announced that Wolfspeed has agreed to a $750 million preliminary memorandum of terms funding agreement under the act. “Wolfspeed is leading the pack in bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to America. This major multi-billion investment powered by my CHIPS & Science Law will accelerate the ongoing expansion in the Mohawk Valley, helping boost hundreds of good paying jobs and providing long term work for the Marcy fab to succeed well into the future,” Senator Schumer said in a statement.

“From electric vehicles to artificial intelligence, so much critical technology relies on the silicon carbide chips that Wolfspeed will manufacture and perfect in the Mohawk Valley. Today’s massive investment will make America’s economy and our national security stronger as Wolfspeed helps us write the next chapter of America’s resurgence as the leader in the semiconductor industry, with the Mohawk Valley as the beating heart.”

Wolfspeed has said that they plan to use the investment to help accelerate their expansions in the Mohawk Valley and boosting jobs that are expected to be created at the Nanocenter in Marcy. The CHIPS Act will also support Wolfspeed’s new facility in Silver City, North Carolina. That facility will send silicon carbide wafers that are already constructed to be finished at the New York facilities including Marcy.

The investment will also be used to ramp up chip production at the company’s facilities in New York. According to Schumer’s office, the funding will allow the Mohawk Valley facility to increase its production capacity. To achieve this increase, some of the funding will be used to purchase and install additional equipment, such as:

• Photolithography tools,
• Ion implanters,
• Metal deposition tools,
• etch systems, and
• automation equipment, among other things.

“On behalf of Mohawk Valley EDGE, we commend the Department of Commerce for reaching a preliminary agreement with Wolfspeed to leverage more than $2.5 billion of investment including over $750 million in CHIPS Act grant funding,” Mohawk Valley EDGE president Shawna Papale said in a statement. “The growth of the Mohawk Valley Fab is hinged on the ability of Siler City to produce 200mm silicon carbide wafers to supply Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley Fab. Thanks to Senate Majority Leader Schumer, this CHIPs announcement accelerates hiring towards Wolfspeed’s job target of over 600 employees and increases production capacity at the Marcy Nanocenter. This was a true collaboration across local, county, State, and Federal officials along with the leadership of Wolfspeed to make the dream of recreating American-made manufacturing a reality right here in Oneida County.”

According to Schumer’s office, he is working with Mohawk Valley EDGE to help convince other semiconductor and supply chain companies to relocate to the Marcy Nanocenter.

“Marcy Nanocenter is one of the most shovel-ready sites in the whole country and with this investment helping to strengthen Wolfspeed and with Micron rapidly establishing itself in the broader region, I am going all out to land more companies to make the Mohawk Valley a central component of bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to America,” Schumer said in a statement.

In addition to the work with Mohawk Valley EDGE, Schumer has also secured $2 million in Department of Labor funding to boost technical training in the area. That boost was in conjunction with the Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties, as well as Mohawk Valley Community College.

To finalize the agreement, the US Commerce Department will begin a comprehensive due diligence process on the proposed project.

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