Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) has struck a deal to buy billions of dollars' worth of optical fiber from Corning Incorporated over the coming years, all to back the fast growth of its U.S. data center infrastructure. This move really shows the rising demand for investments tied to artificial intelligence.
This agreement will help support Amazon's ever-growing network of data centers and is expected to create around 1,000 jobs at Corning's manufacturing sites in North Carolina. Those fiber optic cables and networking tech from Corning are essential for AI infrastructure, making high-speed connections between data centers, servers, and advanced computing systems possible.
The deal also puts a spotlight on Corning's expanding role in the AI boom. Following the news, Corning's stock jumped 4%, and it has more than doubled in value this year as big tech firms ramp up their spending on AI infrastructure.
Earlier this year, NVIDIA committed up to $3.2 billion to Corning for advanced manufacturing facilities, while Meta promised up to $6 billion to help expand Corning's optical cable operations in North Carolina.
Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services, mentioned that Amazon's investments in North Carolina have already led to the creation of over 26,000 jobs. Last year, the company pledged $10 billion to build more data centers in the state.
Corning's CEO, Wendell Weeks, called the deal a significant milestone for both the company and U.S. manufacturing, as it strengthens domestic production capabilities to meet the demands of the growing AI economy.
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