MARCY — When local officials celebrated the opening of Wolfspeed recently, marking the long-anticipated debut of the semiconductor manufacturer at the Marcy Nanocenter, National Grid leaders were on hand to present the company with a $750,000 grant to support electric infrastructure costs to get the factory online.

Wolfspeed announced in 2019 that it would construct a $1.2 billion facility in Marcy near the State University of New York Polytechnic Institute campus. Wolfspeed will make semiconductors from silicon carbide for use in the automotive, mobile communications and industrial markets, and is expected to create more than 600 new jobs. The company also is working with local colleges to develop curriculum to meet its future workforce needs.

“National Grid is proud to support the development of Wolfspeed’s facility in Marcy,” said Alberto Bianchetti, regional director for customer and community management for National Grid. “Our support of the vision for a semiconductor facility in the Mohawk Valley is a reality today because Wolfspeed believed in the value of locating its plant here.”

Semiconductors are electronic devices wired into the heart of nearly every electronic device, from smartphones to home appliances. They are particularly important in the automotive industry. Gas-powered vehicles have as many as 150 semiconductors on board, while a single electric vehicle can use up to 3,000.

“Wolfspeed has built world’s first, largest and only 200mm silicon carbide fabrication facility in the Mohawk Valley,” said Adam Milton, Wolfspeed Vice President, Mohawk Valley Fab. “Great partners like National Grid have supported this development at every step and we’re looking forward to working with them as our roots in this community grow deeper.”

Three decades of public and private investment in semiconductor research and development became more critical due the COVID-19 pandemic. The global pandemic shuttered fabrication plants, slowed imports and depleted manufacturer supplies, resulting in a worldwide shortage of chips.

“New York state’s investment in semiconductor production is bearing fruit at the most critical of times,” Bianchetti said.

In addition to developing technologies to make electronic devices more energy efficient, Wolfspeed’s facilities have taken a green energy pledge. The LEED-certified plant will derive half of its electricity from carbon-free or low-carbon sources, recycle 60,000 gallons of water per day, and host 14 electric vehicle chargers for employee use.

To energize the facility, Wolfspeed needed to create underground infrastructure to connect with a nearby substation. National Grid’s Electric Capital Investiment Incentive provided funding to design and construct this portion of the project.

“Our economic development program aligns with the principles of Project C, our commitment to the communities we serve,” Bianchetti said. “Providing this incentive helps Wolfspeed not only create good, well-paying jobs for the community, but it supports sustainability, neighborhood and community investment and workforce development in the Mohawk Valley.” Since 2003, National Grid’s 18 economic development programs have provided more than $125 million in assistance, helping to create or retain more than 60,000 jobs and supporting almost $10 billion in private and public investment across upstate New York, according to the company.