SCHUMER ANNOUNCES $32 MILLION CHIPS AWARD FOR CORNING INC.’S CANTON PLANT CREATING 300+ NEW, GOOD-PAYING JOBS; SPARKING MAJOR $315M EXPANSION TO INCREASE PRODUCTION OF[...]

Corning Incorporated's North Country Facility Is The Only One In The Country That Manufactures Specialized Glass Critical To The Chip Industry - Used In Some Of The Most Advanced Machinery In The World; New Award Will Expand Production And Supercharge The Workforce Adding Up To 130 Manufacturing Jobs And 175 Construction Jobs To Strengthen This Vital Supply Chain For America

Schumer, Author & Champion Of The Bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law, Personally Visited The Canton Facility After He Passed The Bill Saying It Would Help Them Grow, And Called Commerce Secretary To Advocate For The Importance Of This Facility To The Nation's Chip Supply Chain

Schumer: My CHIPS Law Is Bringing JOBS And Manufacturing Back To The North Country - And Making Sure This Critical Technology Is Made In The USA

After visiting Canton following the passage of his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law and promising it would supercharge the demand for Corning's critical technology and deliver big for the North Country, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer today announced Corning Incorporated has reached an up to $32 million preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to increase production at their Canton facility of specialized glass vital for the semiconductor industry.

Schumer said this expansion, which will help strengthen this vital supply chain for America's national security, is expected to create up to 130 new, good-paying manufacturing jobs, including new union jobs, and over 175 union construction jobs.

"I am proud to announce $32 million from my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law will go to the always innovative and cutting-edge Corning Incorporated in Canton, NY to boost their highly specialized glass critical to the semiconductor supply chain. This award will create hundreds of new, good-paying jobs, supporting our local unions and growing manufacturing right here in the North Country. The glass needed for our semiconductor supply chain should be built in Canton, not China, and today's investment helps further realize the goal of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Law of bringing manufacturing back to America. Corning's Canton plant has been a linchpin of the North Country's economy, and when I visited two years ago I said my CHIPS & Science Law would help them grow even more, and today a promise made becomes a promise kept," said Senator Schumer. "This will help usher in the next chapter of manufacturing here in the North Country. The specialized glass made right here in Canton is used in some of the most advanced machinery in the world - while making microchips we need for technology we use every day, from our phones to our computers and cars. Today Uncle Sam is giving its stamp of approval saying the North Country is ready to build America's future, creating jobs, supercharging the economy and strengthening our national security."

Schumer explained today's proposed CHIPS award will support Corning's planned $315 million investment that will boost glass production in Canton. Corning is one of the largest industrial employers in the North Country, and the project is expected to create up to 130 good-paying union jobs in addition to 175 construction jobs. To carry out the expansion, Corning will work with local unions, including United Steelworkers Local 1026 who represent Corning's glass-making workforce at the Canton facility and will represent applicable new workers. Specifically, Corning plans to increase the production of High Purity Fused Silica and Ultra Low Expansion Glass, which are key components of deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines and photomasks. DUV and EUV technology are important to semiconductor manufacturing, and this project will improve EUV performance with a lower carbon footprint.

"We are grateful for Majority Leader Schumer's vision and tireless efforts to strengthen the domestic semiconductor supply chain through the direct funding award and the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit created by the CHIPS and Science Act. This strategic investment will help our Canton, New York facility continue to expand production of advanced optics components and create up to 130 good paying jobs that are critical to making the world's most complex microchips," said Corning Incorporated Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks.

Schumer recently announced that following years of advocacy, Albany NanoTech would be home to the country's first National Semiconductor Technology Center facility as the headquarters focusing on EUV research. By increasing production at Corning's North Country plant, more American-made glass critical to the technology required by new chip fabs such as Micron, GlobalFoundries, and Wolfspeed in New York will be made available, strengthening U.S. supply chains and offering microchip producers shorter wait times and improved responsiveness from an American-made product. Schumer said this will help boost Corning Incorporated's manufacturing efforts at its plants across Upstate NY.

To support both the company's workforce and the broader community's childcare infrastructure, Corning also plans to invest $300,000 per year for the duration of the proposed project to support the St. Lawrence County Childcare Training Program, which would help build and stabilize the child care workforce and increase child care supply for the community, making it easier for employees to find and obtain care and helping the company access the additional workers needed to make this expansion a success.

Schumer visited Corning in 2022 to explain how his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law will help keep the U.S. on the cutting-edge of innovation, train a new generation of tech and manufacturing workers, lower costs for families, address inflation, strengthen national security, and specifically boost facilities like Canton's. Corning is one of the largest employers in New York, with over 7,000 employees across the state, including over 300 in St. Lawrence County. Schumer explained that anticipation of federal investment in his CHIPS & Science Law and the tremendous impact it will have on the manufacturing and tech industries have already spurred growth for Corning Incorporated.

Schumer added, "This is good news for Upstate NY's entire semiconductor ecosystem and all of Corning's plants across Upstate NY. From Micron, GlobalFoundries, and Wolfspeed to the cutting-edge machinery at Albany NanoTech, the entire semiconductor industry in New York and across America needs the kind of specialized glass they make here in Canton. This continued investment is proof positive that Upstate NY is becoming America's emerging semiconductor superhighway to power the country's global leadership in technology and manufacturing, all thanks to the bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law."

"For more than a century, Corning has led the way in pioneering innovation and manufacturing right here in the Empire State," Senator Gillibrand said. "Today, we open a new chapter in that history with this federal investment in manufacturing jobs and economic development in the North Country. Thanks to the CHIPS Act, we are expanding New York's leadership in the semiconductor ecosystem north of the I-90 corridor. I am proud to have fought to pass the CHIPS Act, and I will continue fighting to deliver these federal resources for New York."

"Corning has been an integral part of the fabric of New York State manufacturing for more than 170 years and is a leading producer of advanced glass used for semiconductor chips," Governor Hochul said. "I want to thank the Biden-Harris administration for their ongoing support and determination to rebuilding American manufacturing and creating good jobs, especially in Upstate New York. Today's announcement complements our continued commitment to fostering the growth of innovative businesses that will move our communities forward and further cement New York as a national leader in semiconductor manufacturing."

In 2022, Schumer helped announce a $139M, 270 job expansion in Monroe County by Corning Incorporated to support optic technology, which is critical in the microchip manufacturing industry. Schumer said that with further expansion of domestic semiconductor production, more and more companies will be relying on Corning Incorporated for their expertise in innovation, glass, and specialty tech to support their growth. Corning's Canton location leverages its expertise in glass science to make some of the world's purest glass. The plant has become a world leader in production of specialized glasses ideal for advanced microchip production and is the only location in the country making this critical product.

This is the fifth agreement for a New York company from the CHIPS Incentives Program funded by Schumer's bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law. Earlier this year, Schumer announced that Micron, which plans to invest $100 billion over the next two decades - the largest private investment in New York's history - that is expected to create an estimated 50,000 jobs, reached a $6.1 billion CHIPS PMT funding agreement. In addition, GlobalFoundries in the Capital Region also reached an agreement for $1.5 billion in direct grant funding under his CHIPS & Science Law to support a $12.5 billion public-private investment over the next ten-plus years to expand and construct a second, new state-of-the-art computer chip factory in Malta, NY. Schumer also announced that Edwards Vacuum, which plans to build a new first-of-its-kind-in-the-country $300+ million, 600-job dry pump manufacturing facility, reached an $18 million CHIPS PMT funding agreement. Additionally, Schumer announced that Wolfspeed reached a $750 million CHIPS PMT funding agreement and plans to tap nearly $1 billion from the CHIPS Investment Tax Credit that Schumer helped create in the CHIPS and Science Law to complete the expansion of their Silicon Carbide Fabrication Facility at Marcy Nanocenter in Oneida County.

Thanks to Schumer's bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law, Upstate New York has seen a major revival in tech manufacturing. In addition to the investments listed above, TTM Technologies, a printed circuit board manufacturer, plans to invest up to $130 million to expand its facilities in Onondaga County, supported by federal investment to strengthen domestic supply chains, creating up to 400 good-paying jobs. Menlo Micro will invest $150 million to build their microchip switch manufacturing facility in Tompkins County, creating over 100 new good-paying jobs. Earlier this year, Schumer secured a major $40 million in federal funding for the federally-designated "NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub," one of only 12 awardees nationally, to further position Upstate NY as a semiconductor center for the world. Earlier this month Schumer secured a major $825 million federal investment to make Albany NanoTech the first National Semiconductor Technology Center (NSTC) hub.

The PMT outlines key terms for Corning Incorporated's CHIPS agreement. To finalize the federal CHIPS agreement, the Commerce Department will now begin a comprehensive due diligence process on the proposed project and other information contained in the application. After satisfactory completion of the due diligence phase, the Commerce Department will finalize the PMT.

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