A global microelectronics manufacturing hub is coming to Tompkins County. Menlo Micro will invest over $50 million to build their first domestic microelectronics fabrication facility in Lansing, creating what the state calls is “over 100 new good-paying jobs.”
Senator Charles Schumer and Governor Kathy Hochul said that the retrofitting of Menlo Micro’s new Ideal fab has already begun in the Village of Lansing. Menlo Micro has pioneered next-generation switch technology. These hyper-efficient switches have broad base applications, including aerospace, energy, communications, critical infrastructure, and more. These switches are also a vital component of the microelectronics industry, supporting the growth of the domestic semiconductor industry that is being driven by Schumer’s CHIPS and Science Act.
To support the construction of Menlo Micro’s new fab, Empire State Development will provide $6.5 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits in exchange for 122 new jobs at their Ithaca facility. As with all Excelsior Jobs projects, Menlo Micro will receive the credits after demonstrating that they have met their job and investment commitments.
Menlo Micro expects U.S.-based manufacturing estimated to begin in 2024 with the new Tompkins County-based fab that will produce thousands of wafers per month when fully operational. Menlo Micro has active university partnerships with the SUNY Polytechnic Institute and the University of Albany, with hopes to expand its research and workforce development partnerships to Cornell University and other universities across Upstate New York with the launch of the new Ideal Fab in Tompkins County.
Governor Hochul said Upstate New York has seen a major revival in tech manufacturing. Micron has announced a historic $100 billion investment to build a cutting-edge memory fab in Central New York, GlobalFoundries is considering an expansion in the Capital Region, onsemi recently acquired a fab in the Hudson Valley to be home to the only 12-inch power discrete and image sensor fab in America, and Wolfspeed recently opened the first, largest, and only 200mm silicon carbide fabrication facility in the world in the Mohawk Valley. In addition, Upstate New York is also home to suppliers like Corning Incorporated, which manufacturers glass critical to the microchip industry at its Canton and Fairport, NY plants, and Edwards Vacuum, recently announced a $300+ million investment to build a dry pump manufacturing facility to support the chip industry in the Western New York region. Schumer is also pushing to make the Albany Nanotech Complex, where Menlo currently conducts R&D into next-generation semiconductor components, the leading hub of the nation’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC). The major expansion of domestic semiconductor production is also creating significant opportunities for the growth in use of Menlo Micro’s technology, leading to investment like the announcement in Tompkins County.
“With this agreement to bring Menlo Microsystems to Tompkins County, we are once again declaring New York State as Chips Country,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “Menlo Micro’s groundbreaking chip technology powers the tools and electronics that New Yorkers rely on every day, and thanks to a remarkable partnership between local, state, and federal officials, their New York production facility will create more than 100 high-tech jobs and unlock millions of dollars in investment to support the entire region. I am excited to welcome Menlo to New York’s chip-making ecosystem as we continue our work to attract the innovative, 21st-century businesses that will provide good-paying jobs, grow our advanced manufacturing sector, and move our economy forward.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “With my CHIPS & Science Act as the lighting rod, Menlo Micro will invest $50+ million to build their first domestic manufacturing facility for their cutting-edge technology right here in Tompkins County! Last year, I personally called Menlo Micro’s CEO to tell him that Upstate New York is the next frontier for microelectronic and semiconductor manufacturing, and I’m thrilled they are now bringing 100 new good-paying jobs to Tompkins County. I applaud Menlo Micro for this major investment that will help drive Tompkins County and America’s economic future in tech manufacturing, and thank Governor Hochul for her partnership to help transform Upstate NY into a global center for innovation, high tech and advanced manufacturing jobs. The greater Ithaca area is unquestionably leading the charge in research and development and building the future of technology, and Menlo Micro will help further supercharge the region’s leadership, while helping secure America’s critical microelectronics supply chains that power everything from 5G communications to the power grid to aerospace engineering with their switch technology made right here in Tompkins County. From Micron’s historic investment in Central NY, to Wolfspeed’s new fab in the Mohawk Valley, Edwards Vacuum soon beginning production in Western NY, GlobalFoundries planned expansion in the Capital Region, onsemi investing in the Hudson Valley, and now Menlo Micro supercharging our microelectronics supply chain in the Southern Tier, we are bringing manufacturing back to America, back to Upstate New York!”
CEO of Menlo Micro Russ Garcia said, “Today’s announcement represents the first step toward significantly increasing the domestic production capacity of our Ideal Switch to help secure critical infrastructure and further strengthen America’s technology stronghold. We want to thank Senate Majority Leader Schumer for his leadership on the CHIPS and Science Act, which is directly supportive of and aligned with our plan to onshore our manufacturing capabilities. We look forward to continuing to work with Sen. Schumer, Gov. Hochul, Sen. Gillibrand, Rep. Molinaro and the entire New York delegation as we begin ushering in the next generation of electrification, delivering unprecedented cost and energy savings to essential U.S. industries. We believe this fab modernization project is in 100 percent alignment with the presidential directive on bringing semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States.”
