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Micron seals $6.1 billion deal to build massive chip facility in Clay

A man with a short beard in a blue suit speaks in front of a large crowd with "made in America, Syracuse NY" posters in the background.
Reed Granger
/
WAER News
Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron, speaks at a celebration of its commitment to CNY at OCC October 27, 2022.

It’s now official…Micron and the federal government have signed a $6.1 billion agreement to build a massive memory chip facility in Clay. Funding from the CHIPS and Science Act championed by Senator Chuck Schumer is a major reason the chip maker made a 20-year, $100 billion commitment to the region.
 
More than two years after Micron made its landmark commitment, Senator Schumer says finalizing the agreement marks a significant milestone.

"It's a monumental step forward. The biggest step forward for Micron yet," Schumer said in a Zoom call with reporters. "And what this means Micron's chips awards are locked in.”

Schumer says it can’t be undone by congress or a new presidential administration. He says the agreement with the US Department of Commerce also means Micron has to hit benchmarks.

“They have employ a certain amount of people by a certain amount of time, have a certain amount of square footage by a certain amount of time, etcetera, there are specific guidelines,” Schumer said.

Rob Simpson is President of CenterState CEO, the area’s economic development organization. He says he's always been confident the deal would come to fruition.

“I don't think it should be underestimated how important this milestone is," Simpson said. "But every day since that announcement in 2022, not only Micron, but our local partners have been working to bring this vision to reality.”

He says Onondaga County is working on the environmental review process for the 1,400 acre site located mostly on wetlands in Clay, while his team works on workforce development.

“We're working with a group of 42 or 43 different training and education providers to make sure that people who are interested in working in a a facility like Micron have access to the training and the skills and the tools and the labs that they need to be prepared for those jobs and those careers," Simpson said. 

Construction is expected to begin in November 2025.

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.