More than 50,000 people work there for companies like Dell, Motorola, IBM and Samsung. Many credit Austin's enormous tech growth to early investments by IBM, Motorola and the creation of the Sematech Consortium in 1988. But the Albany area, with only 12.2 percent of the gross metropolitan product coming from high-tech businesses, lags behind existing clusters like those in San Jose, Salem, Ore., and Austin, according to a recent study by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. That share ranks the region 50th out of 319 areas in the country for tech output, the study said. Still, the possibility of the Capital Region moving into the semiconductor forefront is not far-fetched, experts say.
Success does breed success.
If they turn out the numbers at the IBM plant, I'd have to vote for the fact that New York state would be perceived as a much stronger contender for chip-fab manufacturers,'' said Dick Greene, SEMI principal analyst. Burns, the industry consultant in Santa Cruz, agreed. From what I understand, your area is really in the running,'' he said. But some analysts warned that nearby successes and a booming ring of vendors and suppliers often cannot overpower an unconvinced public.