The latest feather in the cap for USC Aiken opens this morning, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright will join Savannah River National Laboratory leadership and partners for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative (AMC), located on the campus of the University of South Carolina-Aiken, will provide a platform for public-private partnerships to improve advanced manufacturing in areas such as additive manufacturing, AI-driven automation, energy resilience, and nuclear applications. This facility will be a catalyst for regional economic and technological growth, while supporting partnerships and technology commercialization.
“The AMC will provide a manufacturing development venue for DOE mission work and facilitate academic and industry partnerships in state-of-the-art laboratory space,” said Tony Polk, Director, Savannah River Laboratory Office.
An innovation hub for manufacturing, the AMC will foster modern industrial practices, advancing new technologies and providing grounds for training the future manufacturing workforce with a focus on chemical and material manufacturing.
“As a center for academic, commercial, and government collaboration, the AMC will foster the innovation and workforce development needed to attract new manufacturing businesses to South Carolina,” Polk added.
The 60,000-square-foot facility is a partnership between USC Aiken, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM), and North Wind Construction Services, LLC (NWCS).
The AMC facility opening, coupled with the recent addition of mobile advanced manufacturing labs, will bring critical workforce training resources to rural areas across South Carolina.
Funding for the mobile labs’ initiative came from a four-year, $4.9 million Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant provided by the U.S. Department of Labor. The purpose of the grant is to address pressing workforce needs in advanced manufacturing and nursing in a 10-county region. It aims to reduce vacancies and create sustainable career pathways.
The new mobile labs are equipped with simulation software and industry-grade equipment to provide hands-on, real-world advanced manufacturing education and skills development.
The AMC joins a list of growth in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and manufacturing at USC Aiken. This includes a new program in Electrical Engineering to be offered in the Fall of 2026. It will focus on teaching students how to design, test, build, and maintain electrical and electronic systems.
Scott McKay, USC Aiken Dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering, said, “Our engineering department will be moving into the SRNL (Savannah River National Laboratory) Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative. Not only are we sharing a lot of equipment and things with the National Lab, but we’re going to have the students in those laboratories, and this should really foster a huge amount of collaboration between our engineering students, our engineering faculty, and all the wonderful scientists and engineers at the AMC.”
McKay said partnerships with the AMC and CIC, combined with expanding electrical engineering education, can persuade the next generation of trained workers to stay in the CSRA, while attracting others to move here.
Groundbreaking was also held in late May to kick off construction of the $30 million Cyber Integration Center (CIC), a partnership with the South Carolina National Guard. Target opening is summer 2026.
All of these projects should enhance workforce and economic development in the CSRA.
Editor’s Note: Mitzi Oxford is a veteran broadcaster and features writer who also worked at the same television station in Columbus, Georgia, as Augusta’s Brad Means! If you have a South Carolina story idea for Mitzi, please email her at mitzioxfordcreative@gmail.com.
