Corning, Meta agree $6bn data centre supply deal
Author: Joe Peck
Corning, a US manufacturer of optical fibre for telecommunications and data centres, and US technology company Meta Platforms have today announced a multi-year agreement of up to $6 billion (£4.3 billion) to support the build-out of advanced data centres in the United States.
Under the agreement, Corning will supply Meta with optical fibre, cable, and connectivity products to support its data centre and AI infrastructure.
As part of the arrangement, Corning will expand manufacturing capacity across its operations in North Carolina, including a major expansion at its optical cable manufacturing facility in Hickory, where Meta will act as an anchor customer.
Corning says the agreement will support increased domestic production of optical connectivity technology used in large-scale data centre deployments.
Manufacturing expansion and employment impact
Wendell P. Weeks, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Corning, comments, “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.
“The investment will expand our manufacturing footprint in North Carolina, support an increase in Corning’s employment levels in the state of 15–20%, and help sustain a highly skilled workforce of more than 5,000 people – including the scientists, engineers, and production teams at two of the world’s largest optical fibre and cable manufacturing facilities.
“Together with Meta, we are strengthening domestic supply chains and helping to ensure that advanced data centres are built using US innovation and advanced manufacturing.”
Meta says it is continuing to expand its data centre footprint in the US and increase the use of domestically manufactured technology to support its infrastructure requirements.
Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, notes, “Building the most advanced data centres in the US requires world-class partners and American manufacturing.
“We are proud to partner with Corning – a company with deep expertise in optical connectivity and a strong commitment to domestic manufacturing – to supply the high-performance fibre optic cables our AI infrastructure requires.
“This collaboration will help create well-paid, skilled jobs in the US, strengthen local economies, and help secure the US lead in the global AI race.”
The agreement covers the supply of latest-generation optical fibre, cable, and connectivity products designed to meet the density and scale requirements of large AI-focused data centres.
