Meta Teams With Corning to Expand U.S. AI Data Centers

The obvious noise around the AI race is the new models, the new chips, or the headlines about “supercomputers.” But the quieter bottleneck is what ties all of this together after the computing power is secured, the wiring that keeps data moving fast enough that expensive servers do not sit idle.

On January 27, Meta announced a multiyear deal with Corning to supply up to $6 billion worth of optical fiber, fiber-optic cable, and connectivity solutions to Meta’s data centers in the United States.

What $6 billion covers

Corning says as a part of their deal, they will provide their latest optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions, optimized to meet the density and scale requirements of advanced AI data centers.

Reporting from CNBC says the agreement extends through 2030, which means this is not just a purchase order but a long-term commitment.

Why fiber is the AI bottleneck

Meta explains that this is what ultimately ties hardware together to “move information in near real time” within data centers.

What many readers miss is why this matters more now. In an AI cluster, tens of thousands of GPUs must communicate constantly to function as a single “machine.” That makes cabling density and internal bandwidth just as critical as raw compute.

North Carolina expansion and the jobs impact

Both companies have tied this deal to an expansion of manufacturing capacity in North Carolina. Corning indicated this will enable them to increase capacity across their operations in the state, including a significant expansion of their optical cable facility in Hickory, North Carolina, where Meta will be the anchor customer.

On the jobs front, the deal supports a projected 15% to 20% increase in jobs at Corning’s North Carolina operations, potentially hundreds of roles and helps sustain a workforce of more than 5,000 people in the state.

Meta’s infrastructure posture is getting clearer

This deal lands alongside Meta’s recent “Meta Compute” initiative, which is an effort to build out AI infrastructure and oversee Meta’s global data center fleet and supplier partnerships.

Meta emphasized its broader footprint, noting that it has 26 data centers that are under construction or are operational in the U.S., tying those projects to construction and operations jobs.

Corning CEO Wendell Weeks framed this partnership as a way to strength domestic supply chains and ensuring advanced data centers are built with U.S. innovation and manufacturing. Meta’s Joel Kaplan also positioned the deal as part of the U.S. push to stay competitive in AI.