As a part of her nationwide listening tour, Secretary Pritzker met with officials from SEMATECH and the State University of New York College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) while in Albany, New York today. SEMATECH and CSNE are leaders in semiconductor technology in the U.S. and among the most innovative enterprises in the world.

Secretary Pritzker met with the executives of SEMATECH and CNSE to discuss the global challenges that accompany a constantly evolving industry. The secretary also spoke about the role Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) plays in creating standards and funding research with SEMATECH and CNSE. She also asked about how the Commerce Department can support growth in the semiconductor and high-tech industries. 

During her visit, the secretary went on a facility tour of CNSE Nanotech and see state-of-the-art chip making technology firsthand. In the NanoFab North room the secretary saw SEMATECH employees conducting research and she stopped at the NanoFab Central Viewing Gallery where she saw rival companies collaborating in a clean room on nano electronics R&D. In the NanoFab Xtension room she viewed the new Global 450 Consortium clean room–a $4.8 billion partnership of Intel, IBM, Global Foundries, Samsung, TSMC, and CNSE to lead the industry’s transition to 450 mm wafers. After the facility tour, Secretary Pritzker led an industry roundtable with leaders from CNSE, SEMATECH, and leaders from other local high tech companies to discuss topics ranging from intellectual property issues, lessons learned as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) is developed and why rival companies are willing to collaborate and co-locate.

Most importantly, the secretary opened a discussion about government-industry relationships and solicited ideas on how they can be improved. Strengthening the relationships between private sector enterprises and the federal government is a top priority for the secretary and the Commerce Department. On her listening tour, the secretary hopes to gain direct insight from business owners and CEOs on ways to enhance the links between the private sector and Commerce Department.