ALBANY, N.Y., May 9 (UPI) -- The computer chip consortium that helped transform Austin, Texas, into a major computer research center will move to Albany, N.Y., officials said Wednesday.
Sematech, a consortium of microchip manufacturers and semiconductor research operations, will begin moving people to New York in July, a State University at Albany official said.
The state will spend $300 million to provide buildings and infrastructure for the consortium, which already has 250 research employees at the Albany university, The (Albany) Times-Union reported.
The move, still being finalized, is expected to create 450 new jobs and increase the population in the state capital and nearby Hudson Valley region by thousands, legislative officials said.
About 120,000 people moved to Austin due to jobs stemming from Sematech research, New York state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said.
"This is something that is critical to continuing to build on a foundation that is emerging in the Hudson Valley in terms of the tech economy we want to attract," said New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer.
Sematech's 15 global members -- which make up 50 percent of the worldwide chip market -- include Advanced Micro Devices, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, NEC, Panasonic, Samsung and Texas Instruments.
The state has committed to invest $5 million at five additional state university campuses for allied research and development stemming from the Sematech program.
