Corning and Meta Platforms today announced a multiyear agreement worth up to up to $6 billion to accelerate U.S. data center buildout.
Corning will supply Meta with optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions to be used in data centers that will support Meta's apps, technologies, and AI ambitions. The products are designed to meet the density and scale demands of advanced AI data centers.
To make it happen, Corning will expand manufacturing capabilities across its operations in North Carolina, including a significant expansion at its optical cable manufacturing campus in Hickory, which opened in 2023. Meta will serve as the anchor customer of a new facility in Hickory.
Wendell Weeks, Corning Chairman and CEO, said the agreement will help boost jobs by 15% to 20%, and help sustain a workforce of more than 5,000 across a pair of optical fiber and cable manufacturing facilities. Weeks noted that the investment will help boost the domestic supply chain of data center components.
Joel Kaplan, Meta's chief global affairs officer, said the deal will "help secure the U.S. lead in the global AI race."
