BUFFALO, N.Y. — State leaders are responding as Tesla is reportedly cancelling its planned supercomputer installation at the Riverbend plant in South Buffalo. Their reactions stem in part from a renewed push for the state to re-consider lease renewal talks with the company even as the company employs over a thousand people.
Back in January 2024 Governor Kathy Hochul was really banging the drum for Dojo and Tesla as she said this at a press conference discussing UB’s AI Center supercomputer program. “I’m also proud to announce that Tesla is investing 500 Million dollars to build their next supercomputer right here in Buffalo. – How about that?” She was pleased to announce two new supercomputer projects in the Buffalo area.
Now just over a year and half later, the state’s Empire State Development agency is recognizing reports from Bloomberg and other websites that the corporate promised half billion supercomputer project is gone. This is the statement from ESD: “ESD is aware of recent news reports about the discontinuation of Tesla’s Dojo project. While the state has not funded Dojo , ESD is contacting the company to understand the potential impacts to its Riverbend operations, its contractual obligations to the state, and its ongoing negotiations with ESD.”…