A New York non-profit that facilitates semiconductor research has announced a development agreement with Japan.
NY CREATES at the Albany NanoTech Complex works with partners around the globe to advance semiconductor technology.
On Tuesday, it signed a new agreement with the government of Hokkaido, Japan.
Leaders say the new collaboration will foster technological advancement in the high-tech industry.
During a ceremony, NY CREATES President Dave Anderson said it builds on previous collaborations between his organization and Japan.
“This agreement is being signed as we are establishing North America's one and only nonprofit research and development center utilizing high extreme ultraviolet lithography. This center will create the semiconductors industry's most advanced manufacturing technology,” Anderson said.
High-numerical-aperture extreme ultraviolet lithography uses high-energy light to cut patterns in the silicon wafers used in semiconductors, enabling them to be made smaller than ever before.
Empire State Development President and CEO Hope Knight said New York and Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost prefecture, have a lot to learn from each other.
“Tokyo Electron was the very first tenant here at Albany NanoTech, and just last year, the company celebrated their 20th anniversary in the Capital Region,” Knight said.
Knight says the Japan External Trade Organization brought a delegation of Japanese semiconductor firms to New York last year.
"And this spring, I was honored to join colleagues from New York State on a trade mission to Japan to meet with industry leaders and partners,” Knight said.
More than 34,000 New Yorkers are employed in the semiconductor industry.
Governor of Hokkaido Prefecture Naomichi Suzuki addressed the audience through an interpreter. He says the collaboration will support tech firm Rapidus’ development of two-nanometer semiconductors – which would be the most advanced yet.
“We can expect gaining the knowhows and knowledge to accelerate the semiconductor ecosystem and also about New York state's policies on semiconductors. And finally, we can also expect that many overseas engineers, for example, from IBM and other facilities companies, coming to Hokkaido and work here,” Suzuki said.
Suzuki says Rapidus has seen broad support from U.S. companies.
“The Rapidus project has been supported by IBM and NY CREATES; especially with NY CREATES, the Rapidus engineers, they have been, 130 of them have been training with NY CREATES,” Suzuki said.
Anderson says the agreement has national security implications for both countries. The federal CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 is intended to boost domestic semiconductor production to reduce the reliance on foreign technology.
“Part of the CHIPS Act is based on that, and that's bringing leading edge technologies to the U.S. domestically and our allies around the world. So this partnership actually helps build that leading edge capability in allied countries, so that we make best use of the resources wherever they're available,” Anderson said.
With Japanese engineers already training in Albany, the partnership has a goal of sending American engineers to Japan.
