Monday, August 25, 2014

Nano Clouds on the Horizon . . .

First there was the Times-Union blog entry "Is Global Foundries becoming part of Nano Utica chip lab?
"Word in Tech Valley is that GlobalFoundries has been asked to play a part in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s $1 billion Nano Utica initiative after one of the main players back out. . . .
The Times Union has learned that GlobalFoundries has been asked by the state to move into Quad-C and help with the project."
This was quickly poo-poohed in an O-D Article Suny PI denies report that it lost a partner.

Then this article followed a few days later in the T-U: "One of Cuomo's Nano Utica companies says it was never involved."
Cuomo visited SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica in October 2013 to announce that six technology companies would partner with the state to create the Nano Utica consortium.

The group included an Austin, Tex.-based company called Advanced Nanotechnology Solutions; Berlin-based Atotech; IBM; Tokyo Electron; Albany-based Sematech, and Lam Research of Fremont, Calif. . . .

Lam Research — told the Times Union this week that it is not part of the Nano Utica consortium.

"Lam has never had any involvement in the Nano Utica project," said Bob Climo, director of media relations for Lam Research, which makes computer chip equipment.
Not sure what to make of these revelations . . . but they suggest that no company ever backed out . . . but rather a company that was thought to be a participant never was . . . and now Global Foundries is being asked to step into the void.

While we should be glad that politics seems to be strong-arming a company (which received tons of NY taxpayer assistance) into coming to Utica . . . that this seem to be happening confirms New York's "last place" among the states for business friendliness.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

The tech manufacturing market is saturated with facilities. The nano Utica facility will be a small time bit player in the industry. When the NYS corporate welfare runs out, Nano Utica will also run out of town and out of New York. Thank you Governor Cuomo.