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Nvidia, Corning to Build US AI Fiber Plants, 3,000 Jobs

5/7/2026

Summary

Nvidia, Corning Partner

Nvidia and Corning announced a partnership to expand U.S. optical-fiber manufacturing for AI.
The firms will build three facilities in North Carolina and Texas, creating at least 3,000 jobs.
Corning expects to boost optical-connectivity capacity tenfold and raise U.S. fiber output by over 50%.
Nvidia received $500 million in warrants for up to 15 million Corning shares at $180 each.
Corning’s shares jumped 17% to $190.69 while Nvidia’s rose 2% to $200.74.

Summary

Meta backs Corning

Meta committed up to $6 billion to support Corning’s new optical-cable plant in Hickory, North Carolina, naming it its flagship customer.
Corning’s optical-communications unit remains its largest and fastest-growing segment, delivering millions of miles of fiber to AI data centers.
Omdia researcher Vlad Galabov said co-packaged optics shortens data-travel distance, reducing power waste and energy consumption.
Broadcom, Marvell and Intel are also pursuing co-packaged-optics technologies, heightening competition in the AI-infrastructure market.

History

Historical Context

In August 2001 NSF launched the TeraGrid with $53 million to connect supercomputing sites, establishing an extensible open-system network. That open-collaboration model inspired the 2015 Open Compute Project, where Facebook, Intel and Rackspace gathered members who pledged over $1 billion in the first year. Today, deals by Nvidia and Meta echo the same open-hardware push.

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Nvidia, Corning Partner

Nvidia and Corning announced a partnership to expand U.S. optical-fiber manufacturing for AI.
The firms will build three facilities in North Carolina and Texas, creating at least 3,000 jobs.
Corning expects to boost optical-connectivity capacity tenfold and raise U.S. fiber output by over 50%.
Nvidia received $500 million in warrants for up to 15 million Corning shares at $180 each.
Corning’s shares jumped 17% to $190.69 while Nvidia’s rose 2% to $200.74.

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