SCAN: Become a Semiconductor Supplier in Upstate New York

No. Fabs buy from a deep base of ordinary manufacturers — machined parts, metals, industrial gases and specialty chemicals, optics, coatings, cleanroom services, logistics. In this region only one in every 46 manufacturing firms is currently engaged in the semiconductor ecosystem, and manufacturers consistently say the reason isn’t capability — it’s not knowing who to talk to or what fabs need. If you make or move something to spec, there may be a role for you.

Start with a free capability assessment. An Economic Development Organization in your metro — Invest Buffalo Niagara, Greater Rochester Enterprise, or CenterState CEO — acts as your navigator, and a regional Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Insyte, NextCorps or TDO) reviews what you make against what the region’s fabs and tier-1 suppliers are buying. You get a straight answer about fit and a specific list of what would have to change.

The assessment and navigation are free. Technical assistance through the MEP network is subsidized, and SCAN holds a pool of direct grant funding for process improvements — roughly $600,000 across the corridor — plus help accessing state capital programs.

It varies by what you make, but the common list is: process improvements to hit quality specifications, ISO certification, cybersecurity measures to meet industry and national-security requirements, EPEAT registration criteria where electronics are involved, and technology upgrades for capacity and efficiency. This is exactly the work MEPs do, with semiconductor-specific expertise from NY CREATES.

Fabs and tier-1 suppliers operating in and around the I-Corridor include Micron, GlobalFoundries, Wolfspeed, Corning, Edwards Vacuum, Linde, INFICON and TTM. Roughly 100 firms in the Buffalo–Rochester–Syracuse corridor already serve the semiconductor supply chain.