Whether it’s at Town Hall meetings, candidate forums for the upcoming election or the opinion page, the same three-letter subject seems to be on the lips of residents across the Capital District: AMD.
That’s especially true for those who call Saratoga County home. Since the announcement just over two weeks ago that the California-based microchip maker has committed to building a $4.5 billion factory at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Malta, the proposed project has drawn more scrutiny and questions than ever before.
Business pundits the world over are analyzing AMD’s deal with two Abu Dhabi investment companies, one of which will be splitting the responsibility of building and running the Malta facility named Fab 4x under the banner of the Foundry Company.
Closer to home, residents of the towns of Malta and Stillwater are wondering what a $5 million grant from AMD will mean. That story was covered in the Thursday, Oct. 16, Spotlight in our Saratoga County editions.
But dollars and cents are only one measure of what is a pivotal moment in the area’s history. According to AMD’s figures, Fab 4x will bring 6,500 new jobs to the area, if you count all the ancillary industries that will be fueled by its arrival. It’s fair to say that many of those workers don’t already live in Malta or the surrounding area.
In the spirit of investigating the arrival of the Foundry Company to its fullest, Spotlight Newspapers will be publishing a weekly feature focusing on the different aspects of our communities that will feel the impact as the area changes.
Next week, look for coverage of how the area’s schools are adjusting to the idea of the Capital District becoming New York’s `nanotech valley,` from the college level on down.
Local school districts are adding to their curricula and offering students options for hands-on nanotech learning. At the same time, some school boards are considering the possibility of hundreds of incoming students and are turning their attentions to building expansions and budgeting for growth.
And local colleges are preparing to build out their nanotech programs to train researchers and technicians for a future in the field.
So be sure to pick up a copy of the Oct. 31 Spotlight, or go to www.spotlightnews.com to read about the challenges and benefits ahead for the county and region.“