SEATTLE, Washington: Amazon has signed a multi-billion-dollar agreement with Corning aimed at expanding U.S. production of optical fiber and connectivity products, as demand for infrastructure supporting artificial intelligence data centers continues to grow.
The partnership, announced Monday, will focus on increasing domestic manufacturing capacity for fiber-optic products that help move data within large-scale computing facilities. Amazon did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
The agreement is expected to create 1,000 jobs at Corning's facilities in North Carolina, according to Amazon.
The companies also plan to expand workforce training through a new initiative involving Corning's fiber-optic technician program and Catawba Valley Community College in North Carolina. The effort is designed to prepare students for technical roles at the manufacturing facilities.
The deal provides a boost to Corning's optical communications business, which has benefited from growing investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Corning's fiber-optic products play a key role in connecting thousands of processors inside AI data centers, allowing the rapid movement of large volumes of data required by advanced computing systems.
The company has already announced plans to significantly expand its domestic manufacturing footprint. Corning previously said it intends to increase U.S.-based optical connectivity manufacturing capacity tenfold and boost domestic fiber production capacity by more than 50%.
The latest agreement follows another major partnership announced by Corning last month with Nvidia, which is also focused on expanding U.S. fiber-optic manufacturing.
The growing demand for AI computing power has prompted technology companies to invest heavily in the infrastructure needed to support next-generation data centers, including processors, networking equipment and high-capacity fiber-optic connections.
For Amazon, the partnership supports broader efforts to strengthen the supply chain for critical AI infrastructure while increasing manufacturing capacity within the United States.
The announcement comes as technology companies continue to ramp up spending on AI-related projects, with billions of dollars being invested in data centers and supporting technologies across the country.
Shares of Corning rose about 7% in early trading following news of the agreement, reflecting investor optimism about the company's expanding role in the fast-growing AI infrastructure market.
The partnership underscores the increasing importance of fiber-optic technology as companies race to build the networks needed to power advanced artificial intelligence systems.
