Albany’s $614M NanoFab promises jobs

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on December 8, 2025, that NanoFab Reflection had reached its topping-out milestone at the NY Creates Albany NanoTech Complex in Albany. The four-story semiconductor research building is expected to cost $614 million and spans 310,000 square feet, according to the governor’s office and project contractor Gilbane Building. State officials have described the facility as the centerpiece of a broader $1 billion state investment at the site and part of a $10 billion semiconductor initiative tied to public and private partners. When complete, the building is expected to expand cleanroom capacity, house advanced lithography equipment and support hundreds of permanent high-tech jobs. ### What exactly is being built on the Albany NanoTech campus? NanoFab Reflection is a 310,000-square-foot research and development facility being added to the Albany NanoTech Complex, according to NY Creates and Gilbane. The project includes 50,000 square feet of ISO 5 cleanroom space across two levels, along with sub-fab and support space designed for next-generation semiconductor research. The Albany campus already has about 1.65 million square feet of facilities and roughly 3,000 research and development jobs on site, according to NY Creates. NanoFab Reflection is the first major addition there in more than a decade, following earlier expansions including NanoFab Xtension, which opened in 2013. ### Why is the $614 million figure getting so much attention? The $614 million price tag refers to the building itself, which NY Creates said in 2025 had risen from earlier estimates. Gilbane said the project also includes a 900-car parking garage and an upgraded high-voltage switchyard to serve the power demands of semiconductor research. Governor Hochul’s office has tied the building to a larger $1 billion state commitment to construct and equip the facility. In a December 8, 2025 release, Hochul said the investment would help secure “the future of advanced chip research” in New York and support “good jobs, stronger communities, and an innovation economy.” ### What jobs are officials saying this project will create? Governor Hochul’s office said NanoFab Reflection will support hundreds of permanent high-tech jobs once the facility is operational. The state has also linked the project to university partnerships, workforce programs and additional private investment around the Albany campus. Construction employment is already visible at the site. A March 3, 2026 report by the Times Union described “an army of contractors and workers from the construction trades” preparing the cleanroom for equipment installation. ### What will happen inside the building once it opens? The new facility is slated to become home to the nation’s first publicly owned High NA EUV lithography center, according to the governor’s office. High NA EUV refers to an advanced chipmaking and research toolset used to pattern smaller and more complex semiconductor features. A March 2026 tour report said the building was being prepared for the arrival of an ASML TwinScan EXE:5200B lithography machine costing roughly $380 million to $400 million. The tool is expected to be used for research on next-generation chips. ### Who is already committing to use the new space? SCREEN Holdings opened its Advanced Technology Center of America at the Albany NanoTech Complex on April 15, 2026, in partnership with NY Creates and New York state. Hochul’s office said that project was made possible by the state’s investment in NanoFab Reflection. SCREEN ATCA plans more than $75 million in initial investment during the first three years of a planned 10-year engagement, according to the governor’s office. The company will use cleanroom space within NanoFab Reflection for semiconductor research and development. ### What happens next, and when will Albany see the facility fully online? Gilbane said in December 2025 that construction was on schedule for completion by the end of 2026. The next major step is installation and commissioning of the High NA EUV equipment and related systems inside the cleanroom. By late 2026, NY Creates and its industry partners are expected to shift from construction and fit-out to research operations in the new building. The state has said the facility will anchor future semiconductor work at Albany NanoTech, where existing public-private partnerships already include global chip equipment and materials companies.