By Katie Nowak
The Record

ALBANY — A California-based semiconductor wafer company is expanding its operations to New York State, and has chosen the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as its newest base.

Group4 Labs Inc., of Fremont in California’s Silicon Valley, will open a manufacturing facility at CNSE to begin production by this summer, creating 10 new jobs by the end of this year, with the goal of expanding employment to roughly 50 positions over the next four years as production increases.

The company uses synthetic diamonds to manufacture energy-efficient semiconductor wafers, which are built into radar systems, smart phones, tablet computers and cell phone transmission towers, among many other technologies. Group4 will lease space in CNSE’s clean room facility and install its own equipment.

The plan was touted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said that “bringing business to our state and creating jobs is essential to getting New York back on the right path,” a recovery which hinges on “maximize(ing) New York’s reputation in innovative nanotechnology.”

Group4 also plans to launch a manufacturing and test plant in Syracuse, where it will provide its products to Lockheed Martin for use in radar equipment. That facility is expected to add another 94 jobs by 2015.

The CNSE deal was brokered through an agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which will invest $1.5 million in Group4’s operations, with an additional $4 million in private funding.

Joseph Smart, vice president and general manager of Group4 Labs New York, said there were many reasons for his company to choose Albany and CNSE as its latest location.

“Albany is becoming an area of excellence for semiconductors,” he said, with “both seasoned professionals and new talent graduating from universities such as SUNY Albany and RPI.”

Having the support of Cuomo and NYSERDA is important for a small company like Group4, Smart added, because it will make the transition from research and development to manufacturing easier. CNSE is also an ideal environment for the company, he said.

“Having something like the CNSE with the existing infrastructure already there that we can move in and stuff like gas handling, gas delivery systems, the permitting necessary — that’s already in place, so that’s a huge advantage for us,” Smart said. “And then having the funding from agencies like NYSERDA to help us make these devices, which are going to be higher efficiency and consume less energy, I think is a good marriage, good synergy between the charter of NYSERDA and the technology we’re developing.” Continued...

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Group4 will begin setting up its lab space at CNSE within the next few weeks with the goal of having installation complete and production begin by summertime.

“We look forward to getting our facility up and running, installing equipment and hiring some good talent to help us make our products,” he said.

Katie Nowak can be reached at 270-1287, by e-mail at knowak@troyrecord.com or on Twitter @knowak_record.

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By Katie Nowak
The Record

ALBANY — A California-based semiconductor wafer company is expanding its operations to New York State, and has chosen the University at Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering as its newest base.

Group4 Labs Inc., of Fremont in California’s Silicon Valley, will open a manufacturing facility at CNSE to begin production by this summer, creating 10 new jobs by the end of this year, with the goal of expanding employment to roughly 50 positions over the next four years as production increases.

The company uses synthetic diamonds to manufacture energy-efficient semiconductor wafers, which are built into radar systems, smart phones, tablet computers and cell phone transmission towers, among many other technologies. Group4 will lease space in CNSE’s clean room facility and install its own equipment.

The plan was touted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said that “bringing business to our state and creating jobs is essential to getting New York back on the right path,” a recovery which hinges on “maximize(ing) New York’s reputation in innovative nanotechnology.”

Group4 also plans to launch a manufacturing and test plant in Syracuse, where it will provide its products to Lockheed Martin for use in radar equipment. That facility is expected to add another 94 jobs by 2015.

The CNSE deal was brokered through an agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, which will invest $1.5 million in Group4’s operations, with an additional $4 million in private funding.

Joseph Smart, vice president and general manager of Group4 Labs New York, said there were many reasons for his company to choose Albany and CNSE as its latest location.

“Albany is becoming an area of excellence for semiconductors,” he said, with “both seasoned professionals and new talent graduating from universities such as SUNY Albany and RPI.”

Having the support of Cuomo and NYSERDA is important for a small company like Group4, Smart added, because it will make the transition from research and development to manufacturing easier. CNSE is also an ideal environment for the company, he said.

“Having something like the CNSE with the existing infrastructure already there that we can move in and stuff like gas handling, gas delivery systems, the permitting necessary — that’s already in place, so that’s a huge advantage for us,” Smart said. “And then having the funding from agencies like NYSERDA to help us make these devices, which are going to be higher efficiency and consume less energy, I think is a good marriage, good synergy between the charter of NYSERDA and the technology we’re developing.”

Group4 will begin setting up its lab space at CNSE within the next few weeks with the goal of having installation complete and production begin by summertime.

“We look forward to getting our facility up and running, installing equipment and hiring some good talent to help us make our products,” he said.

Katie Nowak can be reached at 270-1287, by e-mail at knowak@troyrecord.com or on Twitter @knowak_record.

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