Upstate New York awarded $40 million in federal funding for tech hub

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub in Upstate New York was awarded $40 million in federal funding that will go toward making the region a semiconductor center for the world, Sen. Chuck Schumer's Office announced Tuesday.

The federal investment, one of just 12 across the nation, will allow the region to build out its workforce training initiatives, strengthen existing manufacturing and innovation, and help attract new supply chains, according to a release. Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse will all be aided by the funding.

“This is a monumental victory for the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region as the first major Tech Hub award in the nation," Schumer said in a release. “America’s semiconductor future runs through the heart of Upstate NY along the I-90 corridor. From the fields near Syracuse that will become Micron’s massive mega-fab to the cutting-edge research labs in Rochester and workers learning these manufacturing skills in Buffalo, this award helps connect the region to seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and establish Upstate NY as the heart of America’s semiconductor industry."

The multi-region consortium beat out nearly 400 initial applications in the first phase of the Tech Hub competition, and was one of 31 that eventually received the designation, which allowed it to compete for the funding awarded Tuesday. The designation is part of the CHIPS & Science Act that Congress passed in 2022