When they launched the NSTC site selection process, the Department of Commerce and Natcast indicated that they would pick the site or sites for the first three foundational facilities “deemed the most advantageous to the objectives of [the CHIPS Act].” In other words, sites will not be picked based on political considerations—far too common in decisions for federal projects. Given today’s global challenges, too much is at stake for politics to dominate capabilities.

Put simply, the Albany NanoTech Complex is a unique national asset, one that can and should serve the objectives of the CHIPS Act specifically and, more generally, the promotion of a more robust national semiconductor ecosystem able to exploit new opportunities and provide a more resilient and secure U.S. economy. Importantly, it offers an exceptional opportunity for the government to leverage existing high-cost resources in an industry-relevant timeframe.

The stakes are very real. As Governor Hochul said when she unveiled the EUV lithography project in 2023, speaking in the tradition of the long line of state governors who laid the foundations for today’s Albany NanoTech,

This is a race for dominance, tech dominance. . . . The U.S. used to dominate this industry. . . . We’re just too dependent on chips and components from places like China, Korea, [and] Taiwan. . . . So, there’s massive implications for national security, technological innovation, economic growth, and independence. And the Chinese in particular are attempting to dominate this industry. . . . We have no intention of letting that happen.

This awareness of the global challenge and the willingness to devote major state resources to meeting it, combined with the existing infrastructure, make New York’s Albany region an exceptional candidate for significant and ongoing support at the federal level. Successful cooperative research organizations are all characterized by sustained and substantial government support as well as active private sector participation. Timely disbursement of existing federal commitments—and proactive approaches to additional investment needs, both at the federal and state level—will be necessary to continue and reinforce the success of the nation’s premier semiconductor research center. The stakes cannot be overstated.

Charles Wessner is a senior adviser (non-resident) with Renewing American Innovation at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Thomas Howell is an international trade attorney specializing in the semiconductor industry and a consultant with CSIS Renewing American Innovation.

Source: https://www.csis.org/analysis/albany-nanotechs-potential-support-national-semiconductor-technology-center