New York Launches New $500M Semiconductor Partnership

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the creation of the Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium, a 100-member public-private partnership between public research universities, private sector companies, and other research partners to develop next generation of materials and processes used in the manufacturing of wide band gap semiconductors. According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, the state will commit up to $135 million to help establish the new consortium and private sector partners will commit the remaining $365 million over five years. The partnership also is supported by the START-UP NY tax free initiative.

Housed at the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany, the site will act as a global “open-innovation” user-shared facility that provides partners with access to cutting-edge equipment and provide a collaborative research environment. Partners will focus their research on silicon carbide and other technologies that have the potential to enable devices to get smaller, faster and more efficient than silicon semiconductors. The partnership will be led by General Electric (GE), which promised to invest $100 million over five years. Other partners include IBM, Endicott Interconnect, Lockheed Martin, Binghamton University, Cornell University, and the University at Buffalo. The state also hopes to engage with small- and medium-sized businesses from across the state. Read the announcement…