Corning and Meta Platforms have signed a multi-year agreement worth up to $6bn to accelerate data centre development in the US.
As part of the deal, Corning will provide optical fibre, cable, and connectivity products to support Meta’s applications and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts.
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The supply arrangement will see Corning expand production capabilities at its sites in North Carolina, with a notable increase in capacity at its Hickory optical cable facility, where Meta will act as the anchor customer.
The contract is set to facilitate Meta’s plans to construct data centres across the country using domestically manufactured technology.
Corning expects the expanded operations to boost projected employment in North Carolina by 15% to 20%, maintaining a workforce exceeding 5,000 in the state. Many of these roles are linked to large-scale fibre and cable manufacturing plants.
Corning chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks said: “This long-term partnership with Meta reflects Corning’s commitment to develop, innovate, and manufacture the critical technologies that power next-generation data centres here in the US.
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By GlobalData“The investment will expand our manufacturing footprint in North Carolina, support an increase in Corning’s employment levels in the state by 15 to 20%, and help sustain a highly skilled workforce of more than 5,000, including the scientists, engineers, and production teams at two of the world’s largest optical fibre and cable manufacturing facilities.”
The latest generation of Corning’s optical infrastructure technology is intended to meet the scale requirements of advanced data centres focused on AI.
The agreement highlights both firms’ ongoing investment in US-based manufacturing and technology infrastructure.
Meta chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan said: “We’re proud to partner with Corning – a company with deep expertise in optical connectivity and commitment to domestic manufacturing – for the high-performance fibre optic cables our AI infrastructure needs.
“This collaboration will help create good-paying, skilled US jobs, strengthen local economies, and help secure the US lead in the global AI race.”
