Meta signed a fiber-optic supply deal worth about $6 billion with Corning to expand artificial intelligence (AI) data center infrastructure.
Meta and Corning said on the 27th (local time) they signed a multiyear contract to supply fiber-optic cables. Fiber optics are a core component needed for large-scale data transmission and ultra-high-speed consolidation, and are essential for building AI data centers.
Under the deal, Corning will expand production capacity at its North Carolina plant and also expand its Hickory fiber-optic cable manufacturing facility, where Meta will be a key customer. Corning expects the investment to help increase local employment and retain skilled workers.
Meta said it highly values Corning's optical technology expertise and U.S. manufacturing capabilities, adding that the partnership will help strengthen the competitiveness of the AI industry in the United States and stabilize supply chains.
Since the launch of the Donald Trump administration, amid a trend of strengthening manufacturing in the United States, Corning has been emerging as a key supply-chain corporations. Corning invested $1.5 billion in a Michigan production facility last year, and Apple also said it would produce the front glass for the iPhone and Apple Watch at Corning plants in the United States.
Corning shares rose about 84% last year, and then surged more than 15% in a single day after the announcement of the deal with Meta.