Pentagon Grants New York $110Mln for New Laser Institute

The Department of Defense has granted $110 million to develop a state of the art institute to further innovate in the field of laser technology.

NEW YORK (Sputnik) — The Department of Defense has granted $110 million to develop a state of the art institute in the state of New York to further innovate in the field of laser technology, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

“New York has been selected by the Department of Defense to lead a prestigious, multi-state Integrated Photonics Institute for Manufacturing Innovation,” the statement read on Monday.

The new American Institute for Manufacturing Integrated Photonics (AIM) will be based out of the city of Rochester, Cuomo explained, and will use $110 million in US federal grants from the Defense Department, along with public and private investments that are likely to exceed $600 million.

AIM will feature an advanced photonics research center and will consist of more than 50 companies and 20 universities.

“The new Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Integrated Photonics in Rochester, New York will help keep America on the front-lines of discovery and ensure our manufacturers, businesses, and economy are globally competitive in the 21st century economy,” US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said in a statement.

Photonics, or the harnessing of the power of light, revolutionized laser technology by making computer chips faster and smaller, as well as making applications more reliable in the fields of medicine, defense, telecommunications, the Internet and information technology.