Biden in Syracuse praises Micron deal, sees bright future for NY. What he said.

President Joe Biden shared a hopeful vision for the technology-oriented future of U.S. manufacturing during his first visit to Syracuse as president on Thursday.

Surrounded by bright banners emblazoned with the words, “A Future Made in America,” the nation’s 46th president pointed to Micron’s recent, $100 billion commitment to build a major semiconductor facility in the region as a harbinger of what’s to come.

"A century ago, this region was the heartland of manufacturing, and now, the region is poised to lead the world in advanced manufacturing," Biden said from the stage at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena andEvent Center, where he was joined by other officials like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. and Gov. Kathy Hochul.

"We're here to celebrate one of the most significant investments in American history, and it's going to ensure that the future is made in America," he continued. "It's part of a broader story of the economy we're building that will work for everyone."

The Syracuse region once teemed with industry, with companies pumping out goods like air conditioners, cars and typewriters. But much of that industry and revenue has since faded or left the area.

Biden is no stranger to Central New York — he earned a law degree from the College of Law at Syracuse University in 1968, and has made multiple visits to the area over the years. A chant of "Let's Go Orange" made its way through the standing-room-only crowd at the SRC Arena before Biden took the stage.

Biden, 79, spoke about a path out of the inflation that’s been plaguing Americans’ pocketbooks for months, while contrasting his plan with that of Republicans, current and past.

"On my watch, we've kept our commitments. 'Made in America' isn't just a slogan, it's a reality," he said. "Today's announcement is the latest example of my economic plan at work."

New York officials have touted Micron as a landmark investment in jobs for New Yorkers, who are facing high inflation and other economic headwinds in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The chips that power nearly every aspect of our daily lives will be made in America, by upstate New Yorkers,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said.

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Federal law helped bring Micron to Syracuse

The deal will bring Micron Technology, one of the largest semiconductor manufacturers in the world, to Clay, a Syracuse suburb, where it plans to build a facility that’ll eventually sustain up to 9,000 jobs. It’s expected to create 40,000 additional jobs in construction labor, contractors and other supporting roles.

Siting work will begin next year, with construction scheduled to start in 2024.

The company’s commitment was spurred on by the federal CHIPS and Science Act, a key piece of Biden’s economic plan that he signed into law in August. The measure is meant to bolster manufacturing, research and development in the semiconductor space.

“We wouldn’t be here today without (Biden’s) vision and leadership on the CHIPS act,” Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron, said Thursday.

The jobs created by Micron will have a six-figure average salary, according to the White House, and Micron and New York will work together to establish a $500 million fund to strengthen the surrounding community, including schools and local businesses.

When fully built, the facility and others like it will produce nearly four billion chips a year, Mehrotra said, holding up a tiny chip at the podium that will contain “billions of bits of information,” he added.

“The people of Clay and this region can take pride that what they make here will be used all over the world,” he said.

Semiconductor boom in U.S.

Micron is just one of the major semiconductor manufacturing efforts in the U.S.

This summer, officials broke ground on a $20 billion Intel semiconductor plant in Ohio, and earlier this month, Biden visited IBM in Poughkeepsie to tout the company’s $20 billion investment in semiconductor production and advanced technology development.

Semiconductors help convert power from a standard outlet into the electricity needed for any given electronic device. They’re found in many everyday devices, from smartphones to appliances to vehicles.

Micron manufactures chips for computer memory and storage uses, like memory cards and solid state drives.

The ability to use voice-to-text technology on your smartphone, advanced safety features in your car and precise medical imaging in doctor’s offices depend on fast and accurate data, Mehrotra said at the SRC Arena.

Work in the memory space makes access to data easy, and therefore it is “at the heart of all of these technology applications today,” he said. “We are the clear technology leader in memory, and we’re now bringing that leadership in technology and manufacturing excellence to right here, in Clay, New York.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand soared for semiconductors, also referred to as “chips,” and the U.S. scrambled to strengthen domestic manufacturing to stave off consumers’ dependence on imported chips from overseas.

Now, demand may be slowing somewhat, leaving manufacturing companies to cope with the market’s challenges, the New York Times reported Thursday.

But Biden and other officials were confident Thursday in their ability to bring high quality jobs to hometowns around the nation, including through the semiconductor sector.

"Families have more net worth today than they did before the pandemic," Biden said. "We're doing everything we can to give folks just a little bit of breathing room."

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: Biden in Syracuse praises Micron deal, sees bright future for NY