Government, Schools, Business Invest in Nanotech
Published Apr 15, 2007
The University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering is the nation’s top college for nanotechnology.
Consider the transistor – the basic element of the computer chip that has driven technology and, in many ways, the economy since its invention in the 1940s. From televisions to radios to mobile phones to computers, it has been the building block of all electronics, spawning trillions of dollars in investments worldwide, even as microchips have gotten smaller and smaller.
As scientists approach the end of innovation based on the current architecture of the computer chip, New York’s Tech Valley is becoming a global pioneer in exploring new structures to replace transistors through the field of nanoscale science and technology. In this microscopic new frontier, researchers are working to control and manage individual atoms and molecules to build increasingly smaller computer chips that will revolutionize the world in the next century. The research could lead to a new industrial revolution, changing the way that medicine, computers, cars – almost everything – is designed and constructed.
Such cutting edge research is under way at the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering (CNSE), including the new $435 million Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery and Exploration (INDEX). Gov. George E. Pataki announced the arrival of INDEX last winter, noting that more than 10 states had vied for the public/private investment. Only Tech Valley and California’s Silicon Valley succeeded.
“The semiconductor industry recognized that here in New York we have created a powerful nanoelectronics industry cluster that is on the cutting edge of research and technology and is transforming the Capital Region and the state into a worldwide powerhouse in high-tech research, job creation and economic growth,” Pataki said.
As part of the effort, a 250,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building is under construction to support INDEX research. That means more laboratories, more space for corporate partners, more classrooms and a new clean-room wing.
“It’s quite exciting,” says Dr. Alain E. Kaloyeros, CNSE’s vice president and chief administrative officer. “From a science and technology standpoint, it’s our most important initiative to date.”
However, it is just part of the nano revolution taking place in Tech Valley, where shrinking technology is translating into big investments in the regional economy.
Over the past decade, CNSE – the world’s first college devoted solely to nanotechnology – has attracted $3 billion in public and private investments while growing employment from 70 to 1,400 at its Albany NanoTech complex. In May 2006, CNSE was ranked by Small Times magazine as the nation’s top college for nanotechnology and microtechnology.
Students here work alongside industrial researchers through more than 250 partnerships, bringing new business ties to Tech Valley and strengthening existing ones. Those include high-tech heavyweights like IBM, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), SONY, Toshiba, Applied Materials, International SEMATECH, Tokyo Electron and Micron.
The corporate investments are substantial. IBM recently opened a $338 million Center for Semiconductor Research. International SEMATECH – a consortium of 12 major computer chip manufacturers – opened a new $50 million research and development center, building on an existing $400 million R&D center. Tokyo Electron Ltd. and Applied Materials each have a $300 million research center, and Netherlands-based ASML has opened a $400 million center that includes the world’s first R&D lithography tool – at a price tag of $65 million. IBM, AMD, Qimonda and Micron are part of the $600 million International Venture for Nanolithogaphy.
Such research is leading directly to economic investment and growth throughout the region. Last June, AMD chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz announced the California-based semiconductor company will build a $3.2 billion computer microchip fabrication plant at Tech Valley’s Luther Forest Technology Campus. Ruiz lauded the area for its “well-crafted vision” and its critical mass of educational institutions, government support, workforce training and R&D facilities.
AMD plans to break ground between 2007 and 2009 on its 1.2 million-square-foot plant, which will employ up to 1,200 workers when fully operational between 2012 and 2014. It is the largest private investment ever in New York state.
“AMD’s announcement gave our region immediate global recognition in manufacturing,” says Kaloyeros. “We have come from being a baby to being an 800-pound gorilla.”
Story by Marta W. Aldrich
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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