NVIDIA and Corning plan major US manufacturing expansion for AI data center hardware

NVIDIA and Corning are working together to expand US manufacturing for the optical connectivity hardware needed in large AI data centers.

The companies announced a multiyear commercial and technology partnership focused on advanced optical connectivity. Corning plans to raise its US based optical connectivity manufacturing capacity by 10 times and increase US fiber production capacity by more than 50 percent.

The expansion includes three new advanced manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas. It is also expected to create more than 3,000 high paying jobs in the US.

The move is tied to the growing demand for AI infrastructure. Large AI systems need huge numbers of GPUs working together, and those systems require fast, reliable connections to move data across data centers. As AI factories become larger, optical fiber, photonics, and connectivity hardware become more important.

Corning’s expanded capacity will support hyperscale data centers that use NVIDIA accelerated computing. The goal is to make more of the critical AI infrastructure supply chain inside the US rather than relying heavily on overseas manufacturing.

Jensen Huang said AI is driving one of the biggest infrastructure buildouts of the current era and described the partnership as a way to strengthen American manufacturing. Corning CEO Wendell P. Weeks also framed the deal as both a technology investment and a manufacturing investment.

Here is a quick look at the plan:

This partnership shows how AI growth is affecting more than chips alone. GPUs remain central to AI systems, but data centers also need the network hardware that connects thousands of processors at high speed. NVIDIA’s work with Corning points to a wider buildout around AI infrastructure, including fiber, optical links, and domestic manufacturing capacity.