(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden touted IBM Corp.’s plans to invest $20 billion over the next decade in New York, saying it could make the region a hub for quantum computing and resulted from legislation he signed to boost US research and development.
Most Read from Bloomberg
“The Hudson Valley could become the epicenter of the future of quantum computing, the most advanced and fastest computing ever, ever seen in the world,” said Biden on Thursday during a visit to the IBM campus in Poughkeepsie, New York. “It’s technology that is vital to our economy, and equally important to our national security.”
IBM’s investments will go toward research and development and manufacturing involving semiconductors, mainframe technology, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. IBM builds mainframe computer systems at the campus, which also houses the company’s first Quantum Computation Center, one of the largest concentrations of quantum computers.
Biden, accompanied by IBM Chairman Arvind Krishna, met with workers during his visit and was shown a quantum computer. Biden was also joined on the visit by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Representatives Sean Patrick Maloney and Patrick Ryan.
“I believe the reason why companies like IBM are choosing to build in America is because we’re better positioned globally than we have been in any time in a long time,” said Biden, touting the Chips and Science Act, which provides $52 billion to bolster domestic semiconductor research and development.
Biden signed the measure into law in August, part of an administration effort to reduce dependence on Asian suppliers of semiconductors like Taiwan and South Korea, whose homegrown companies are leading the market, and to ease supply-chain disruptions that raised prices for goods.
With less than five weeks until the November midterm elections, Biden has been stepping up his travel to tout legislative victories, including the semiconductor subsidies and the Inflation Reduction Act — the Democrats’ climate, tax and health-care package.
Read more: Micron Plans to Invest Up to $100 Billion in NY Chip Factory
IBM has promoted key elements of Biden’s legislative agenda. Krishna attended the August chips bill signing ceremony and the company lobbied lawmakers to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill that includes funding to build out broadband networks.
The IBM announcement follows one on Tuesday from Micron Technology Inc., which said it plans to invest as much as $100 billion over the next 20 years to build a factory in upstate New York to boost domestic production of memory chips.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.
