Vice President Biden Announces $610 million investment in New Integrated Photonics Manufacturing Innovation Hub
Vice President Joe Biden recently announced that the Research Foundation for the State University of New York (RF SUNY) will lead a new Manufacturing Innovation Institute to secure U.S. leadership in manufacturing integrated photonics.
With a total investment of over $610 million—$110 million in federal funds, and more than $500 million in non-federal contributions—the announcement marks the largest public-private commitment to date for a manufacturing institute launched in the United States.
Photonics, the science of transferring information via light rather than electricity, is one of several potential future technologies that could take over from silicon. It is considered one of the most viable and could offer enormous gains in performance over traditional computing, as well as huge reductions in energy consumption.
These emerging technologies have the potential to transform many industries—from creating “needleless” tests for medical conditions, to increasing the carrying capacity of broadband communications ten times over.
The Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Integrated Photonics is the sixth of nine such public-private partnerships to boost advanced manufacturing, foster American innovation, and attract and create jobs that strengthen the middle class.
Headquartered in Rochester, NY, the new Department of Defense led manufacturing institute will help spark new growth in manufacturing building on the area’s legacy of leading optical and photonics technology capabilities—and position the United States for continued leadership in this critical technology area.
