The advanced materials industry is experiencing one of the most significant geographic shifts in its history. Driven by federal investment, supply chain urgency, and a deepening talent crisis, the map of where this work is being redrawn. And the new landmarks are not where most hiring managers are looking.
A Talent Crisis with a Geographic Dimension
The numbers make the stakes plain. The Semiconductor Industry Association, in partnership with Oxford Economics, projects that the U.S. semiconductor workforce will grow by nearly 115,000 jobs by 2030, and that roughly 67,000 of those positions, or 58% of projected new roles, risk going unfilled at current degree completion rates (Semiconductor Industry Association & Oxford Economics, 2023). Zoom out to advanced manufacturing broadly, and the National Association of Manufacturers estimates that 3.8 million jobs will need to be filled over the next decade (Manufacturing USA, 2024).
This is not a pipeline problem in the abstract. It is a geographic problem. Talent exists, but it is not always where the industry is built.
The Rise of Regional Clusters, by Sub-Sector
The advanced materials industry is not monolithic, and neither is its geography. Three emerging regional clusters are worth the attention of every talent leader in this space.
East Tennessee: “Carbon Valley”
East Tennessee has quietly become one of the most consequential advanced composites clusters in the world. Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Carbon Fiber Technology Facility anchors a network of university spinouts, manufacturers, and research partnerships that industry leaders have taken to calling “Carbon Valley” (IACMI, 2022). In February 2025, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI) opened its new national headquarters in Knoxville, co-located with the University of Tennessee’s expanded 44,000-square-foot Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility, described by IACMI’s CEO as “a hub in the Southeast for regional collaboration in cutting-edge composites and advanced manufacturing” (IACMI, 2025). For materials scientists, process engineers, and composites technicians, this region now offers a density of institutional infrastructure that rivals anything on the coasts.
Central Ohio: The Semiconductor Corridor
Ohio is emerging as the nucleus of the U.S. semiconductor materials buildout. Intel’s two advanced semiconductor plants are expected to create 3,000 direct jobs by 2031, while Amazon Web Services’ data center expansion will generate thousands more support roles, all in a state that, as of late 2023, had only 62 available workers for every 100 open positions (Brookings Metro, 2025). The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association has publicly named workforce availability as the single greatest constraint on the region’s industrial growth (Brookings Metro, 2025).
Albany, New York: Integrated Photonics and Semiconductor Materials
The Albany Nanotech Complex hosts the most advanced publicly owned 300mm wafer research and development facility in the world, anchored by AIM Photonics, a Manufacturing USA institute pioneering integrated photonics manufacturing (Manufacturing USA, 2022). The region is attracting materials scientists and semiconductor engineers drawn by access to one-of-a-kind fabrication infrastructure and a growing ecosystem of startups commercializing photonic chip technology. With U.S. semiconductor manufacturing having fallen from 37% of global output in 1990 to 12% today, the policy priority and thus the investment is not going away (Manufacturing USA, 2022).
What Drives Talent to These Clusters?
The behavioral logic is consistent across sub-sectors. According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO), the long-term vitality of any advanced materials cluster depends on three mutually reinforcing pillars: foundational research capability, a resilient domestic supply chain, and the workforce and entrepreneurial ecosystems that sustain both (U.S. Department of Energy, n.d.).
When all three are present, talent follows, not just jobs. Materials engineers and research scientists, much like their peers in other STEM fields, disproportionately migrate to places where they can access world-class equipment, collaborate with leading researchers, and participate in a startup ecosystem with a realistic path to commercialization. A single employer posting is rarely enough; a cluster is.
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References
Brookings Metro. (2025, April 25). Rethinking how businesses source and develop their workforce amid the looming talent shortage. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/rethinking-how-businesses-source-and-develop-their-workforce-amid-the-looming-talent-shortage/
Center for Strategic and International Studies. (n.d.). Reshoring semiconductor manufacturing: Addressing the workforce challenge. https://www.csis.org/analysis/reshoring-semiconductor-manufacturing-addressing-workforce-challenge
Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation. (2022). IACMI: Tennessee epicenter for advanced composites and manufacturing innovation. https://iacmi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/IACMI_Tennessee-epicenter-for-advanced-composites-and-manufacturing-innovation-2022.pdf
Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation. (2025, February 19). IACMI open house celebrates 10 years of innovation, new headquarters, and cutting-edge composites laboratory. https://www.iacmi.org/iacmi-open-house-celebrates-10-years-of-innovation-new-headquarters-and-cutting-edge-composites-laboratory/
Manufacturing USA. (2022). Institute facilities are a draw for many early-stage companies. https://www.manufacturingusa.com/studies/institute-facilities-are-draw-many-early-stage-companies
Manufacturing USA. (2024). Revitalizing America’s manufacturing workforce: A Manufacturing USA national roadmap. https://www.manufacturingusa.com/sites/manufacturingusa.com/files/2024-09/MFG%20USA%20EWD%20Roadmap%202023_0.pdf
Semiconductor Industry Association & Oxford Economics. (2023). Chipping away: Assessing and addressing the labor market gap facing the U.S. semiconductor industry. https://www.semiconductors.org/chipping-away-assessing-and-addressing-the-labor-market-gap-facing-the-u-s-semiconductor-industry/
U.S. Department of Energy, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office. (n.d.). About the Advanced Materials & Manufacturing Technologies Office. https://www.energy.gov/cmei/ammto/about-advanced-materials-manufacturing-technologies-office
