Syracuse Sun

Syracuse University has announced its plans to establish the Syracuse University Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing. This interdisciplinary center will combine expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization, and robotics to advance semiconductor manufacturing science. The project will be funded by a $10 million investment from the university and a $10 million grant from Onondaga County.

The new center is part of a larger plan to invest over $100 million in strategically transforming STEM and expanding the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) at Syracuse University over the next five years. The facility will be located within the university's Center for Science and Technology and ECS, positioning both the university and Central New York as global leaders in intelligent semiconductor manufacturing research and education.

Chancellor Kent Syverud expressed gratitude for the county's support, stating that he looks forward to the teaching, research, and educational outcomes that will contribute to a thriving advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry in Central New York.

The announcement comes as Micron Technology continues its $100 billion investment in Central New York. This initiative is expected to create 50,000 new jobs in the region, including 9,000 high-paying jobs directly with Micron. Additionally, Micron plans to invest $500 million in community and workforce development aimed at assisting traditionally underrepresented populations while training or retraining the region’s workforce.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon stated that this new facility would play a significant role in driving economic development, cultivating talent pipelines, attracting federal research funding, building the semiconductor supply chain in Syracuse.

The Syracuse University Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing aims to drive progress across the semiconductor supply chain. As a state-of-the-art teaching and research facility replicating an autonomous-advanced manufacturing floor, it will enable design research that makes Syracuse globally competitive in semiconductor manufacturing technologies.

Over the next five years, Syracuse University plans to hire more than ten new faculty members with expertise in various fields, including manufacturing process engineering and automation, optimization and artificial intelligence, materials science engineering.

The center's research will drive improvements in manufacturing needed to create tomorrow’s most advanced chips. It will also deliver the skill sets needed by today’s semiconductor industry by educating graduate and undergraduate students in cutting-edge manufacturing and supply-chain technologies.

Work to transform existing space into the new facility is already underway.