Corning to partner with Nvidia for three new factories in North Carolina and Texas

Corning Inc. and Nvidia announced May 6 that the two companies would form a partnership to expand Corning’s manufacturing capacity for U.S. fiber-optic cables by 50%. According to a joint press release from the manufacturing companies, Corning will build three new factories in North Carolina and Texas and hire 3,000.

The companies’ statement noted that NVIDIA graphics processing units, including those specialized for use in AI architecture, require “unprecedented” amounts of optical fiber and photonics components. The joint statement did not specify the terms of any binding deal between the two companies.

Neither company disclosed specific locations in the United States where Corning’s new plants would be built, beyond that they would be in North Carolina and Texas, and the companies did not estimate how much the new plants would cost.

In a statement, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said Corning would bolster U.S. manufacturing and advance the development of AI. Wendell Weeks, CEO of Corning, without naming terms, said Nvidia was “directly fueling” his company’s expansion and investing in the manufacturing of AI components.

What people are saying

“What NVIDIA is doing is nothing short of extraordinary, not just for the future of artificial intelligence, but for the American advanced manufacturing workforce,” said Wendell P. Weeks, chairman, CEO and president of Corning. “Their commitment is directly fueling the expansion of our U.S. manufacturing footprint and creating more than 3,000 new, high-paying jobs for American workers. This partnership is proof that AI is not just a technology story. It is a manufacturing story, and it is happening here in the United States. Together with NVIDIA, we are ensuring the critical technologies powering AI are invented, engineered and built in America.”

“AI is driving the largest infrastructure buildout of our time — and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate American manufacturing and supply chains,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA. “Together with Corning, we are inventing the future of computing with advanced optical technologies — building the foundation for AI infrastructure where intelligence moves at the speed of light while advancing the proud tradition of Made in America.”