President Biden visits Syracuse, touts Micron investment in NY. Live updates

President Joe Biden will visit Syracuse on Thursday to celebrate a $100 billion commitment from Micron to build a massive semiconductor hub in the area, which is estimated to bring thousands of jobs to Central New York.

This story will be updated live throughout the day as the president arrives and makes remarks.

When, where is the Biden visit?

The president is scheduled to make remarks at around 3:30 p.m. at Onondaga Community College's SRC Arena. Classes have been canceled for the day at the college.

Biden visit expected to cause traffic delays

Drivers planning to use Interstate-81 and Interstate-690 in the Syracuse area Thursday afternoon should expect delays, New York State Trooper Jack Keller said Thursday.

Other roads may be closed or affected by the president's visit, but authorities cannot release exact locations and times for security reasons, he added.

What does Micron plan to build in Syracuse?

The Micron semiconductor facility, announced earlier this month, will be built in Clay, a suburb northwest of Syracuse.

The Boise, Idaho-based company manufactures chips for computer memory and storage uses, like memory cards and solid state drives.

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It is slated to begin construction on the Syracuse facility in 2024.

Micron expects to create as many as 9,000 jobs at the semiconductor hub over the next 20 years. In addition to those employees, the project is expected to create 40,000 additional jobs in construction labor, suppliers, contractors and other supporting roles.

Was Biden recently in New York?

Biden visited an IBM facility near Poughkeepsie in early October as the company announced a $20 billion investment in its sites in Poughkeepsie, Yorktown and Albany. The Poughkeepsie-area facility is the global company’s hub for mainframe development and quantum computing, though IBM’s footprint in Dutchess County has decreased in recent decades.

Both the Micron deal and the IBM funding are related to the CHIPS and Science Act, a federal measure signed by Biden in August that is meant to bolster manufacturing and spur on research and development in the semiconductor sector.

Syracuse prepares for Biden’s arrival 

The stage is set for President Biden’s arrival at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena and Events Center near Syracuse.

Red, white and blue banners hang on the stage, emblazoned with the phrase “A future made in America.”

Press personnel and other attendees are arriving at the arena. The president's remarks will begin at 3:30 p.m.

Biden to discuss plan for economy 

Biden’s remarks in Syracuse will contrast his economic vision with that of Congressional Republicans, according to a White House spokesperson.

Biden and his administration have spoken of a future that will revitalize manufacturing jobs in the U.S., through legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act, which will fund research, development and manufacturing of semiconductors on U.S. soil.

The president will be joined at the event by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus.

Biden expected to land in Syracuse within the hour  

Air Force One, with President Biden and his staff aboard, is expected to land at Syracuse Hancock International Airport around 1:50 p.m., according to a schedule released Thursday by the White House.

He will make his way from there to Onondaga Community College later Thursday afternoon.

Meanwhile, security removed two protesters from the SRC Arena area on the OCC campus to a “free speech” area of the campus quad, a Syracuse.com reporter tweeted.

Biden arrives in Syracuse 

Air Force One touched down at Syracuse Hancock International Airport at around 2:05 p.m.

Biden deboarded the aircraft with Rep. Katko and others, and greeted Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, Sen. Gillibrand, Majority Leader Schumer and Gov. Hochul.

He spoke with Hochul, Gillibrand and Schumer for a few minutes before leaving to head to Onondaga Community College around 2:20 p.m.

Micron VP Manish Bhatia explains why company chose Syracuse area

Micron’s Executive Vice President of Global Operations Manish Bhatia spoke at OCC prior to Biden’s arrival, saying that New York’s strong education system, resources and green energy played into Micron’s decision to locate in Clay.

Micron one of several semiconductor efforts around US 

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 in the Hudson Valley.

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.

Biden begins speech

President Biden mounted the stage at the SRC Arena to applause. He started with several references to the area, where he attended the College of Law at Syracuse University, earning a degree in 1968.

"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 said, pivoting to touting the future Micron facility in the area. "It's part of a broader story of the economy we're building that will work for everyone."

Biden sees growth in manufacturing in US

Biden painted a rosy picture of the jobs the semiconductor sector, and other manufacturing industries, could bring to U.S. residents.

"I've never been more optimistic about America's future," he said, adding that he feels pride when he thinks of the younger generation. “Where is it written the United States of America can’t be the manufacturing capital of the world?”

Schumer: 'You've changed Syracuse's history forever'

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., spoke after President Biden, and imagined the legacy Micron will leave for Syracuse-area residents, from the working dad to the little girl who wants to be an engineer someday.

“The chips that power nearly every aspect of our daily lives will be made in America, by upstate New Yorkers,” Schumer said. “So yes, Syracuse has always been part of President Biden’s history, but now, thanks to the president’s leadership, Mr. President, you have changed Syracuse’s history forever.”

Micron CEO: Chips made in Syracuse will be used 'all over the world'

Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology, credited Biden’s work on the CHIPS and Science Act with helping to bring Micron to upstate New York.

“We wouldn’t be here today without (Biden's) vision and leadership on the CHIPS act,” Mehrotra said. “The people of Clay and this region can take pride, that what they make here will be used all over the world.”

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

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, he said.

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.”

Biden finishes event in Syracuse

Biden wrapped up his event in Syracuse at around 5:30, thanking the crowd as he left the stage. He shook hands with people in the room, snapping a few selfies with a few of them on his way out.

This article originally appeared on New York State Team: President Biden visits Syracuse for Micron investment. Live updates