Nov 03, 2003 November 02, 2003 03:00 PM US Eastern Timezone
NY Governor George E. Pataki to Receive 2003 Noyce Award from Semiconductor Industry Association
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 2, 2003--The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has selected New York State Governor George E. Pataki, representing all New Yorkers, as the 2003 recipient of the prestigious Robert Noyce Award. The award, which represents the highest honor bestowed by the SIA, will be presented to Governor Pataki at the SIA's Forecast and Award Dinner on November 5, 2003, where Governor Pataki will deliver the keynote address. Past keynote speakers include Gordon Moore, Bill Bennett, and Henry Kissinger.
In giving Gov. Pataki its highest award, named in honor of industry pioneer and Intel co-founder Robert Noyce, the SIA Board cited his exemplary leadership and steadfast support for New York State's efforts in semiconductor research, development, and commercialization. The award to Governor Pataki represents the first time the award has been given to an elected public official.
"Under Governor Pataki's leadership, New York serves as a national model for federal, state and local governments in the creative use of targeted government resources to expand semiconductor R&D and manufacturing activities in the United States," said SIA President George Scalise. "It is in our strategic interest in terms of homeland security and job creation to maintain US leadership in microelectronics and New York is in the forefront of this vital effort."
"I am honored to receive the SIA award, on behalf of all New Yorkers, and I am proud of the partnerships we have built in New York with SIA member companies," Governor Pataki said. "New Yorkers recognize that the jobs and the economy of the future rest with high technology, and we're making the strategic investments -- in partnership with industry -- to be a high tech leader in the global economy of the 21st century."
Highlights of the Governor's initiatives include the creation of the Empire State High-Tech Corridor, embodied by Centers of Excellence throughout the State that focus on critical, emerging technologies. Centers of Excellence are industry-driven partnerships with the State and academia that build on the State's regional strengths and focus on applied research and the commercialization of new products. Centers statewide have leveraged $1.7 billion total in public and private sector investments in New York's high-tech sector.
The centerpiece of the Centers of Excellence is the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics at the University of Albany-SUNY, which will house the world's only university-based 300 mm wafer nanoelectronics R&D and prototyping complex. This effort includes the following:
-- State funding of $85 million toward a combined public and private sector investment of $185 million to create the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics, in partnership with IBM.
-- The commitment of over $160 million in state funding for the creation of International SEMATECH North (ISMTN), a five-year, $350 million total program in partnership with industry leaders to accelerate the development of next generation lithography. ISMTN is located at the Albany Center of Excellence in Nanoelectronics.
-- A commitment of $100 million to support a $300 million total research effort with Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) focused on semiconductor tool development and deployment, also to be located at the Albany Center of Excellence;
-- $35 million in state funding to date in support of the Interconnect Focus Center for Hyper-integration which funds innovative university research on nanoscale interconnect technology. The focus center is funded jointly by the Microelectronics Advanced Research Corporation (MARCO) and the Defense Advanced Research Programs Agency (DARPA).
The Governor's SEMI-New York Initiative is another critical element of the Governor's efforts. This program is designed to create strategically placed, pre-permitted sites across New York that accelerate the environmental and plant permitting process and assist in the location of leading edge semiconductor fabrication facilities (FABs) in New York.
Further, to strengthen New York's economy, Governor Pataki has enacted more than $100 billion in business tax cuts, the SIA board noted, including a reduction in the corporate tax rate to 7.5% from 9%, and incentives for investment in new technology, jobs and equipment, making New York a model for other states.
A native of New York, George Pataki is a 1967 graduate of Yale University and a 1970 graduate of Columbia Law School. Before being elected New York's 53rd Governor in November 1994, George Pataki served for ten years in the state Legislature and was Mayor of his hometown of Peekskill. Re-elected in 1998 and 2002, the Governor is serving his third term.
About the SIA
The SIA is the leading voice for the semiconductor industry and has represented U.S.-based semiconductor companies since 1977. SIA member companies comprise approximately 85% of U.S.-based semiconductor production. Collectively, the chip industry employs a domestic workforce of 255,000 people. More information about the SIA can be found at http://www.sia-online.org.
