Stony Brook University to open $20M semiconductor research and development center
Stony Brook University's West campus will soon be home to a new semiconductor research and development facility. Credit: Newsday/John Paraskevas
A $20 million semiconductor research and development facility is coming to Stony Brook University, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday.
Stony Brook officials will partner with Arizona-based onsemi, described in a release as the largest U.S.-based manufacturer of silicon carbide power semiconductors. Silicon carbide is a chemical compound that officials said is vital to building "more powerful, efficient and cleaner electric vehicles and energy infrastructure."
"The state-of-the-art research facility at Stony Brook University will be another step in our mission to restore the semiconductor industry, strengthen our national security and cement New York’s status as the chips capital of the United States," Hochul said in a news release. "By investing in cutting-edge technology and world-class talent, we’re building a stronger, more resilient future for Long Island, and New York."
State officials said onsemi will invest $8 million to support the center’s operations, while Stony Brook will invest $10 million in renovations and equipment. The state will provide a grant of up to $2 million.
The new facility will be in Stony Brook’s Engineering Quad on its West campus. The center will allow university research scientists and students to study the growth, processing and measurement of silicon carbide crystals, officials said.
State officials said Stony Brook will seek agreements with crystal growers, equipment manufacturers, raw material suppliers, process modelers and academic and research laboratories to help evaluate their products and ideas.
The work performed at the center will provide students and professionals a "training ground" before entering the workforce, officials said. Stony Brook will also develop a curriculum for an undergraduate minor, a master’s degree and a certificate focused on silicon carbide and wide bandgap semiconductors, officials said.
The center is expected to be fully up and running by early 2027.
According to a report by the Semiconductor Industry Association, the field currently employs about 345,000 people in the United States. It faces a projected shortfall of 67,000 technicians, computer scientists and engineers by 2030, the report said.
The report also noted that as of July, companies in the semiconductor "ecosystem" have announced more than a half-trillion dollars in private sector investments to "revitalize" the U.S. chip ecosystem. Related projects are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of jobs to the United States, according to the report.
"Advanced power semiconductors are at the core of enabling the widespread adoption of AI and electrification," Dinesh Ramanathan, onsemi’s corporate strategy senior vice president, said in a statement. "This new center will play a key role in accelerating innovation in one of the most critical fields for these global megatrends."
