Onondaga Community College has unveiled drawings for a Micron Cleanroom Simulation Lab, which lays the groundwork for training the thousands of high-tech workers needed to work at four semiconductor fabrication plants Micron is planning to build in central New York.
It’s been just over a year since the company announced plans to spend up to $100 billion to create the megafab complex in the town of Clay. Since then, they’ve invested in a number of fronts, like museum exhibits, day care and early childhood education, and kid’s science camps.
Unveiling plans for the simulation lab is the first step that directly connects central New Yorkers to the 9,000 jobs created directly to work at the plant, according to Micron Executive Vice President Manish Bhatia.
“We cannot just be relying on the existing semiconductor pipeline. We need to be expanding that talent," said Bhatia. “We know we need to develop the workforce and this is something that we wanted to show our commitment. We also want to make sure that we're prepared when this factory starts production in 2026 and has wafer output in 2027, we want to have the workforce ready.”
OCC professor Mike Grieb has been instrumental in creating Micron-related electromechanical technology programs at the school. He said this simulated clean room offers learning that can’t be found anywhere else.
"Having that experience of being in the bunny suit of being in a clean room and actually working with these million dollar devices,” said Grieb. “It's not something that we can do with VR, It's not something we can just do with average equipment We really needed those semiconductor tools what they're called to simulate it, to let them experience it."
OCC Freshman Allison Wilcox expects to graduate in 2024, and hopes it’s not too late to get inside the facility that’s expected to open in 2025.
“So once we just graduate, I think I'll be able to use it,” Wilcox said. “Hopefully I really want to. Really, really want to."
