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Pataki's State of the State Highlights Tech Valley

Three important technological developments were announced in Governor George Pataki's tenth State of the State address on January 5, 2005. These developments are promising for the future technological development in the Hudson Valley, known as “Tech Valley” to the rest of the nation. “IBM--along with six global giants that include Sony, Toshiba, and Samsung--will invest $1.9 billion to build the next generation chip plant,” Governor Pataki announced in his address. “This investment represents one of the largest of its kind in the world and it's happening right here in the Hudson Valley…”

NY Governor George Pataki gives his annual State-of-the-State address in front of a joint meeting between the State Senate and Assembly. (Photo - Ray Feliciano)

The 380,000 square foot plant will be located in Fishkill next to IBM's current chip facility and is purported to create 750 new jobs and well as 250 new research projects. The facility will begin operations in early 2006.

ASML Holding NV, a leading lithography equipment manufacturer based in the Netherlands will “invest over $325 million to create its first-ever R&D center outside of Europe,” according to Pataki. The facility will be located at the UAlbany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics. The new center joins with the existing Albany NanoTech complex and the college of nanotechnology at UAlbany to become a world-class nanotechnology center.

The process of nanoscale lithography is used to imprint circuit patterns on silicon wafers to make nanochips, which are smaller than conventional microchips and can hold much more information, and are much faster than the chips found in the today's computers. In September of 2004, an IBM scientist who used a lithography system comprised of ASML technology made a prototype of a 64-bit processor, an industry first.

Finally, a new center for high-tech materials will be built in Albany to the tune of $450 million. The research center is a joint venture between IBM, Tokyo Electron, and Applied Materials, with other companies expected to join up in the future.

All told, these new technology ventures total $2.7 billion in investments. The good news is that New York State's share of the funding only totals $225 million--the vast majority of the rest of the investment funds are supported by private funding. With the possibility of over one thousand jobs being created as well as the economic and technological benefits, the future seems promising for Hudson Valley. In the words of the governor, this new technological interest and financial investment in Tech Valley will bring “jobs and optimism throughout the region.”

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