Speaker Silver Joins Gov. David Paterson and U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton and other Legislative leaders For a Capitol News Conference To Announce State's Continued Efforts To Advance AMD Chip Manufacturing Plant in Capital Region
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
(Speaker's Remarks As Delivered)
Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver joined Gov. David Paterson, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton and Advanced Micro Devices Chairman Hector Ruiz to discuss the state’s continued support for AMD’s planned construction of a chip manufacturing facility at Luther Park Forest in Malta, Saratoga County.
The announcement that the Fab-Four X manufacturing facility, that is your technical name, will be constructed at Luther Park Forest is proof that the higher education base economic development that we have been advocating here in the Capitol for the past dozen years really, really works.
I just would like to point out Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, who is somewhere in the room, who has led the College of Nano Technology, who has made the Capital Region the leader …he is the kind of talent that has really started this region down this path more than a dozen years ago.
I can recall my Assembly colleagues Ron Canestrari, Jack McEneny and the predecessors of Tim Gordon and Bob Reilly, coming to me about a project at SUNY Albany for a cleanroom technology. I must admit that I had no idea what they were talking about, and I suspect that they didn't either.
But I met with Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, and he was very convincing that this was going to be the cutting edge of new manufacturing. So in 1996 or 1997 we committed $5 million dollars to create this cleanroom technology at SUNY Albany at what became the school of Nano Technology.
And I think what has happened since … the IBM that has been doing research there and every other major electronic company in the world. Every chip company from Tokyo electron, Vistech and their international venture for nanolithography all came here as a result of that seed.
And I think Dr. Ruiz is that second generation and second wave after ever body coming here to take advantage of what was created here at SUNY Albany.
So I think we have done great work here in Tech Valley. It's the kind of partnership that you see here, government and the private sector. The commitment to regional economic development and to building industry clusters, as I believe we have been successful here. That will be the future here of the New York workforce. We have to duplicate it around the Upstate region in terms of finding the industries that can best do that.
I have every confidence that with the leadership of Governor David Paterson, we will see this come to fruition. We have two of the best Senators in Washington that we could possibly have, and I don't only recognize that but I think the country recognizes both of them for being that. And so I think with all the talent that have, we can overcome what is probably a temporary Wall Street meltdown and build a 21st century New York economy for our children and children's children.