The American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics in Rochester has been approved for $106 million worth of equipment and maintenance costs.
The New York State Photonics Board approved the funding for the federal institute at its meeting in Rochester Wednesday.
The $106 million approved today is part of the $250 million that New York State committed to the project. The total budget is $612.9 million, with the federal government committing $110 million and the state and other parties, including private sector companies, providing the balance.
Board Chairman John Maggiore also told the board that it is anticipated that Empire State Development will issue a request for proposals for the location of the Institute’s testing, assembly and packaging facility.
AIM Photonics is a manufacturing consortium that will focus on the design, manufacture, testing, assembly and packaging of integrated photonic devices. Among the lead universities are SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology.
The focus of the planned center will be on integrated photonics. That means photons, which are powered by light, would be used in place of electrons, which are powered by electricity.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, said the funding is a step in the right direction for the center which he said will be “the magnet that attracts world-class researchers to Rochester and teams them with local Rochester workers, suppliers, and photonic companies to make a low-cost, commercially-viable photonic-integrated circuits.”
Added U.S. Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Perinton: “This is a key moment in our work to bring the photonics institute online. We’ve got the manufacturing facilities, the research institutions, and the workforce, and now we’re on the verge of making key investments to take this program to the next level.”