Within a span of eight days in June, semiconductor giants GlobalFoundries and Micron announced they are doubling down on their commitment to the Empire State at Upstate locations about 140 miles apart.
GlobalFoundries (GF) on June 4 announced plans to invest $16 billion to expand semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging capabilities across its facilities in Malta, New York, just south of Saratoga Springs, and Essex Junction, Vermont, next to Lake Champlain. Micron on June 12 touted its ongoing megafab investment in Clay, near Syracuse, as part of its plans to expand its U.S. investments to approximately $150 billion in domestic memory manufacturing and $50 billion in R&D, creating an estimated 90,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The expanded commitments from the two companies are not the first time they’ve acted in unison. In collaboration with the National Science Foundation, Micron and GF in May 2024 announced a commitment to invest in workforce development at minority-serving higher education institutions, in keeping with the semiconductor talent development objectives of the federal CHIPS and Science Act as well as New York State’s Green Chips legislation.
As the two mega-announcements grabbed headlines, another electronics investment announced on the same day as GF’s news brought its own impact to Long Island, where Orbic Electronics Manufacturing, LLC, a specialized global manufacturer of telecommunications and consumer electronics devices, broke ground on a new $110 million manufacturing global hub in Hauppauge, Suffolk County, that will create more than 1,000 new manufacturing jobs, retain 66 existing positions currently based in Suffolk County and bring Orbic’s complete manufacturing and production operations from overseas facilities in India and China to its New York-based headquarters.
Touting her state’s advanced manufacturing attractiveness, New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, “From Long Island to the North Country, we’re seeing companies recognize that our state offers the perfect combination of skilled workers, world-class infrastructure and strategic support that makes success inevitable.” That strategic support includes up to $10 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Tax Credits recommended by the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council.
Strategic Response
It’s in the North Country, however, where hundreds of millions have multiplied to tens of billions, part of a surge in semiconductor investment that’s already reflected in the data: The Semiconductor Industry Association on June 5 announced global semiconductor sales were $57 billion during the month of April 2025, 22.7% more than the April 2024 total of $46.4 billion. Year-to-year sales in April were up in the Americas by 44.4%, compared to 23.1% in Asia Pacific/All Other and 14.4% in China.
GF said its add-on investment to the $13 billion worth of work already underway is “a strategic response to the explosive growth in artificial intelligence, which is accelerating demand for next-generation semiconductors designed for power efficiency and high-bandwidth performance across data centers, communications infrastructure and AI-enabled devices.” Among its Upstate projects is the recently launched New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center — the first U.S.-based facility of its kind dedicated to silicon photonics packaging, R&D initiatives focused on packaging innovation, silicon photonics and next-generation GaN (gallium nitride) technologies.
The company said it’s collaborating with companies like Apple, SpaceX, AMD, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., NXP and GM that are “committed to reshoring semiconductor production to the U.S. and diversifying their global supply chains.”
“GlobalFoundries has supplied semiconductors for Apple products since 2010, and we’re excited to see them expand right here in the United States,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook, whose own company in February pledged more than $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years. “These chips are an essential part of Apple products like iPhone, and they’re a powerful example of American manufacturing leadership.”
“Semiconductors are critical to the future of vehicles, and their importance will only grow,” said General Motors President Mark Reuss. “GlobalFoundries’ investment supports our work to secure a reliable, U.S.-based chip supply — essential for delivering the safety, infotainment and features our customers expect.”
Micron’s vision includes “up to four leading-edge high-volume fabs in New York,” the company’s announcement stated, expanding on previously announced plans at its New York megafab site, originally announced in October 2022 as a $100 billion commitment with an eventual payoff of nearly 50,000 jobs (9,000 directly at Micron) over the ensuing 20 years. The company said it “expects to begin ground preparation in New York later this year following completion of state and federal environmental review processes,” with the intent to bring a second fab in Idaho online before the New York fab does. Micron is also expanding and modernizing its operation in Manassas, Virginia.
Micron anticipates that all of its U.S. investments will be eligible for the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit (AMIC). “Micron applauds Rep. Tenney (R-NY) for introducing the Building Advanced Semiconductors Investment Credit Act, which would increase AMIC to 35% and extend it by four years,” the company said. “Strengthening AMIC will help ensure investment in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing over the next four years and support long-term growth, reestablishing America’s leadership in this critical industry.” Already secured support at the local, state and federal level includes up to $6.4 billion in CHIPS Act direct funding.
“Micron’s investment in advanced memory manufacturing and HBM capabilities in the U.S., with support from Trump Administration, is an important step forward for the AI ecosystem,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia. “Micron’s leadership in high-performance memory is invaluable to enabling the next generation of AI breakthroughs that Nvidia is driving. We’re excited to collaborate with Micron as we push the boundaries of what’s possible in AI and high-performance computing.”
