There’s a big tech news update in upstate New York! Last week, the U.S. government promised $6.1 billion to Micron Technology as part of the Biden administration’s CHIPS and Science Act. Signed into law in 2022, the act included an allotted $52 billion in funding for technology companies to research and manufacture semiconductors throughout the country. Part of the money given to Micron Technology will go toward building a microchip manufacturing facility near Syracuse, NY. In the words of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), “It will be the biggest memory chip plant in America. For the Syracuse area, this is probably the best thing to happen since the Erie Canal.”
In addition to government funding, Micron itself is investing $100 billion over the next twenty years in the production of the country's biggest semiconductor facility. This will eventually result in nearly 50,000 new jobs for upstate New York residents. According to their original 2022 news release, “Micron’s New York plans include initiatives to address economic disparities and accelerate economic opportunity for underserved communities in the semiconductor industry.”
As an upstate New York-based organization whose primary initiative revolves around technology, Mission: Ignite is excited for this development! We seek to address economic disparity in our own way by bridging the digital divide through digital navigation and our Tech 360 courses. Teaching technology skills to those in need can often help them find jobs and make them more employable in general. We look forward to these technological advancements in our home state!
