After President Biden signed the CHIPs and Science Act into law Tuesday, officials in central New York are waiting to hear if a chip manufacturer will land in Onondaga County.
The county has been marketing the White Pine Commerce Park in Clay. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said it depends on which of the companies the county is negotiating with.
"There’s one company that’s ready to make the decision very, very soon," McMahon said. "There’s another one that’s ready to make it weeks away and there’s others, months away. But I’ll say this, if you’re building one fab, there’s broad competition. If you are building two or more, there’s no broad competition, we’re the only ones.”
McMahon won’t identify companies that are interested, but some have been visiting the site as recently as earlier this summer. White Pine, which the county has been developing for years, is the single largest site in the state, with room for eight fabs, or chip-making factories.
The county has been expanding sewer capabilities and acquiring neighboring land in Clay for years in the White Pine area. McMahon said it is the best site in the country to host a chip plant, because of its size and access to power, water and sewage treatment facilities.
Along with these new federal subsidies, state tax breaks level the playing field between New York and other states with traditionally lower construction costs. Supporters say the tax credits from the CHIPs act as well as New York state’s Green CHIPs program, make White Pine, as well as the Marcy Nanocenter in Oneida County, very attractive to manufacturers.
