U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Corning Incorporated has reached an up to $32 million preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to increase production at their Canton, NY facility of specialized glass vital for the semiconductor industry.
Schumer said this expansion, which will help strengthen this vital supply chain for America’s national security, is expected to create up to 130 new, good-paying manufacturing jobs, including new union jobs, and over 175 union construction jobs.
“I am proud to announce $32 million from my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law will go to the always innovative and cutting-edge Corning Incorporated in Canton, NY to boost their highly specialized glass critical to the semiconductor supply chain. This award will create hundreds of new, good-paying jobs, supporting our local unions and growing manufacturing right here in the North Country. The glass needed for our semiconductor supply chain should be built in Canton, not China, and today’s investment helps further realize the goal of the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Law of bringing manufacturing back to America. Corning’s Canton plant has been a linchpin of the North Country’s economy, and when I visited two years ago I said my CHIPS & Science Law would help them grow even more, and today a promise made becomes a promise kept,” said Senator Schumer. “This will help usher in the next chapter of manufacturing here in the North Country. The specialized glass made right here in Canton is used in some of the most advanced machinery in the world – while making microchips we need for technology we use every day, from our phones to our computers and cars. Today Uncle Sam is giving its stamp of approval saying the North Country is ready to build America’s future, creating jobs, supercharging the economy and strengthening our national security.”
Schumer explained the proposed CHIPS award will support Corning’s planned $315 million investment that will boost glass production in Canton. Corning is one of the largest industrial employers in the North Country, and the project is expected to create up to 130 good-paying union jobs in addition to 175 construction jobs. To carry out the expansion, Corning will work with local unions, including United Steelworkers Local 1026 who represent Corning’s glass-making workforce at the Canton facility and will represent applicable new workers. Specifically, Corning plans to increase the production of High Purity Fused Silica and Ultra Low Expansion Glass, which are key components of deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines and photomasks. DUV and EUV technology are important to semiconductor manufacturing, and this project will improve EUV performance with a lower carbon footprint.
“We are grateful for Majority Leader Schumer’s vision and tireless efforts to strengthen the domestic semiconductor supply chain through the direct funding award and the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit created by the CHIPS and Science Act. This strategic investment will help our Canton, New York facility continue to expand production of advanced optics components and create up to 130 good paying jobs that are critical to making the world’s most complex microchips,” said Corning Incorporated Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks.
