(Host) IBM’s Essex plant got a boost from the Pentagon Friday with the announcement of a major contract for a new computer chip technology. The Defense Department awarded a $10 million contract to IBM and a South Burlington company for chips that use x-rays to create microscopic electronic circuitry.
Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy announced the contract. The money was set aside in a Defense Department appropriations bill. Leahy is a senior member of the committee that writes the annual budget bill.
The contract includes $3 million for work in the first year, with an option for an additional $7 million in the second year. JSAL Nanolithography of South Burlington will manage the project. The work will be performed at IBM’s Essex plant.