The King and Queen of the Netherlands visited Albany on Wednesday.
King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima stopped by the Governor's mansion Wednesday morning before heading to tech hub NY CREATES, where they toured the facility including an ASML company clean room, where semiconductor chips are made.
Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher and Governor Kathy Hochul signed a memorandum of understanding to advance shared goals for the future of semiconductor manufacturing. The Democrat says the agreement includes measures to maximize power and water efficiency and support the development of new materials.
“Our state and the Netherlands can really power the future and create a semiconductor renaissance that the rest of the world will follow," Hochul said. "And in so doing, the governments must also incentivize innovation and aggressively pursue companies working at the vanguard of the semiconductor industry. That's exactly what we did, not long ago, here in the state of New York. That is the genius behind our ten billion green chips initiative that we enacted with our state legislature. That is the program that coupled with federal resources, under the leadership of President Biden and [Senate] Majority Leader [Chuck] Schumer, we're able to harness their resources with our ten billion dollars to be a magnet for companies from all over. And as a result, we landed Micron, the largest economic development deal in American history, just a short time ago, that's 50,000 jobs and many, many more opportunities coming right here to our beloved state.”
Hochul says "New York became what it is because of the Dutch."
"It all started 400 years ago when someone with tremendous courage and a willingness to go into the unknown and chart new waters, to come up what's now called the Hudson River, and to make New York State the powerhouse that it is," said Hochul.
Schreinemacher hailed the U.S. and the Netherlands as "global leaders when it comes to semiconductors and integrated photonics development."
“So we need to keep working hard to stay ahead and to enhance investment in more reliant supply chains that will decrease our vulnerabilities and give us more independence from third countries. We have the world's best companies, the smartest engineers and the brightest researchers, but we also need a cohesive network of people working together to make the most of their talents. That's why I'm delighted that New York State and the Netherlands are now taking their partnership to the next level,” Schreinemacher said.
King Willem-Alexander highlighted the strong bilateral ties between the Dutch and the U.S. going back centuries. He says NY CREATES exemplifies "putting together the brightest people, the best facilities and the boldest ideas."
“In the Netherlands, you can see the same dynamic spirit, driven by the same connections between big business, startups and research institutions," said the king. "Those connections are our greatest strength. So it is fantastic to see our leading centers of nanotechnology and semiconductors working to enhance their ties even further. United States and the Netherlands are a perfect match. They've been here for years. Not everybody realized this, but our country is the second largest foreign investor in the U.S., and here in New York state alone, our trade and investment relations account for 57,000 jobs, but our relationship is about much more than the economy. We're also partners in the search for solutions to the great challenges of our time, from climate change to the energy transition to affordable healthcare for all.”
Hochul also announced the sponsorship of five SUNY students who are attending a semiconductor summer school program in the Netherlands this summer.
The king and queen, accompanied by Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado, later visited Schuyler Mansion where they discussed climate change with young people. The royal’s day in Albany concluded with a networking event at the Governor’s Mansion. They were also scheduled to visit New York City before heading home to the Netherlands.
