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The victory lap came a few weeks after Micron announced it would invest $100 billion over 20 years to build a semiconductor chip manufacturing facility in Onondaga County. It is the largest private investment in New York history. The project will create up to 50,000 jobs, with 9,000 of those at Micron's plant. 

Biden, who headlined an event at Onondaga Community College, credited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for authoring federal legislation to spur domestic semiconductor production. The bill, which Biden signed in August, includes $52.7 billion to support semiconductor manufacturing. Micron executives have said that it's a big reason why the company decided to move forward with its plans for a New York facility. 

Schumer, D-N.Y., said it took years of work to get the bill done. The legislation faced opposition from Republicans — he said that if Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell was majority leader, the Senate wouldn't have passed the bill. 

Semiconductor chips were invented in the U.S., but production shifted overseas. More chips are now made in other countries, including China, one of the United States' top adversaries. 

With the federal legislation to boost semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S., that could change. 

"It's not about conflict. It's about competition," Biden said. "We're back in the game. We're competing again." 

Micron's plan to build a manufacturing plant in the town of Clay is also backed by the state. Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation that will provide up to $10 billion to support chip manufacturers that choose to set up operations in New York. 

Hochul recalled when she was first approached about Micron's plans weeks after becoming governor last year. She met with Micron executives and knew that this was a prime opportunity for the state. 

"I knew we couldn't let this one go," she said. 

Micron President and CEO Sanjay Mehtrotra told the crowd that the Clay facility, when fully operational, will produce 4 billion semiconductor chips annually. He explained the importance of the memory chips, which are used computers, vehicles and other everyday products. Because of growing demand for semiconductor chips, Mehrotra said more manufacturing facilities are needed. 

Before Micron breaks ground, it is making more commitments to the region through a community investment framework. Those investments include $5 million to build a cleanroom at OCC — part of a workforce development effort to train future workers. The company also plans to hire 1,500 vets over the next 20 years. The first hire is Savion Pollard, a U.S. Navy veteran and electrical engineering student at Syracuse University. 

The project has federal, state and local leaders optimistic about central New York's future. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon remembered meeting with Micron's team and watching as they grew to love the region. He said he knew that "if we could check all the boxes" — getting federal and state incentives to level the playing field — that they would choose the Syracuse area. 

"For the first time, any government leader in our role can look at any kid in our county and look them in the eye and say, 'Your future is in Onondaga County and America's future is in Onondaga County," McMahon said. 

Biden, too, is excited by what the future holds with companies like Micron choosing to grow at home instead of abroad. The investment, he said, is transformational. 

"This is a big day for central New York but it's also a big day for the United States," he said. 

The event was a homecoming for Biden, who is a Syracuse University law school graduate. Early in his remarks, he recognized members of the Hunter family who were in attendance. His late wife, Neilia Hunter Biden, was a Skaneateles native. Her parents owned Hunter Dinerant in Auburn.