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President Joe Biden traveled to Syracuse Thursday afternoon to speak about Micron Technology’s emergence in central New York and its role in mobilizing the region’s economy.

Biden’s visit to the Syracuse Museum of Science and Technology followed his morning announcement that upstate New York was named one of the United States’ new “Workforce Hubs.” He discussed the $6.1 billion grant to Micron under the CHIPS and Science Act for its proposed semiconductor manufacturing complex in Clay, New York.

“This isn’t just an investment in America. It’s an investment in the American people as well,” Biden said.

The plant is predicted to create more than 50,000 jobs in New York state and employ about 1,300 people in the first year at an average salary of $98,000 in filings with Onondaga County. Biden said this investment will “bring an advantage back” to U.S. citizens.

Several New York officials and Sanjay Mehrotra, president and CEO of Micron, joined Biden to praise the investment.

Biden said he will not let the country be “vulnerable” to the consequences of inflation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wages in the U.S. are rising, and Micron will offer jobs to people without requiring a college degree, Biden said. With the Micron investment, the U.S. will become the “manufacturing capital of the world,” he said.

“It’s going to transform our semiconductor industry — a pillar of modern economy —and it’s going to create an entirely new ecosystem in research design manufacturing here in America,” Biden said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the investment is “bringing hope back” to the state by combating unemployment, benefiting communities across upstate New York. She said it will bring new life, vitality and energy to communities while also making the state more competitive.

“President Biden knows all about manufacturing. He knows that means supporting, not just legacy businesses, but here we have an opportunity to manufacture the future – semiconductors that are used to power everything that is important in our lives,” Hochul said.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said the community is “hungry and alive” with ambition for its arrival. He said central New York had gathered there to “meet the moment” of opportunity.

“When you put those pieces together and you lay out that puzzle, what you get is the greatest memory technology company in the world, making the largest investment in the company’s history and the largest private sector investment in the state of the art in the United States of America,” McMahon said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the private investment is the largest in New York state’s history. He added that Micron is committed to letting its workers form a union.

“Micron is the only company providing childcare to its workers on all of their sites. Micron is fully committed to building an inclusive and diverse workforce and Micron is publicly committed to the rights of workers,” Schumer said.

Shanon Thomas, an apprentice at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 43 who introduced Biden, said he is hopeful for his hometown because of the re-emergence of manufacturing jobs in the U.S.

Schumer said Mehrotra deserves tremendous credit for his leadership and commitment efforts. He said the investment will revive and rebuild upstate New York’s economy.

“The world’s most advanced memory chips will be recognized by a simple phrase that will be known around the world: ‘Made in upstate New York,’” Schumer said.

Mehrotra thanked Biden for his contributions to Micron and said he is excited to build a future with central New York. Micron’s home hub is based in Boise, Idaho, but Mehrotra said the expansion to New York turned the company into a “global innovation powerhouse.”

Throughout his nearly 40-year career, Mehrotra said this expansion has been the most exciting. Micron will be able to produce billions of memory chips every year, making the U.S. a leading country in the manufacturing world while also creating thousands of jobs, he said.

“Today we are celebrating an investment in America’s future, an investment in jobs, an investment in national and economic security,” Mehrotra said.

Published on April 25, 2024 at 10:10 pm

Contact Roxanne: rmboychu@syr.edu