Shares of Corning (GLW) climbed sharply by 8% on Monday after Amazon unveiled a multibillion-dollar, multi-year agreement with the advanced glass and fiber-optics manufacturer. The deal will see Corning supply critical optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions to support Amazon’s rapidly expanding cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure across the United States.
The partnership, announced in a joint statement, is expected to create 1,000 jobs at Corning’s manufacturing facilities in North Carolina. Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman noted that the company’s previous investments in the state have already generated more than 26,000 jobs, with Amazon separately committing $10 billion last year toward new data center developments in North Carolina. The new agreement will also expand Corning’s training program for fiber-optic technicians in the region.
Corning’s optical communications business has emerged as a major beneficiary of the AI boom. As hyperscale cloud providers build larger and more complex data centers, demand has surged for high-speed fiber-optic solutions that connect servers, storage systems, and AI chips. Corning’s fiber optics are considered a foundational component of AI infrastructure, enabling rapid data transmission within and between facilities.
The Amazon deal follows a string of AI-related commitments. In May, Nvidia pledged up to $3.2 billion to Corning for three advanced manufacturing plants. Earlier this year, Meta committed up to $6 billion to support an expansion of Corning’s optical cable plant in Hickory, North Carolina, a project expected to generate roughly 1,000 jobs. Corning CEO Wendell Weeks said the Amazon agreement “represents a significant milestone for Corning and for American manufacturing,” reinforcing efforts to build a resilient domestic supply chain amid growing AI infrastructure spending.
