Amazon signs multibillion-dollar fiber‑optics contract with Corning

Amazon and Corning announced a multiyear, multibillion‑dollar agreement for the supply of optical fiber to power Amazon’s rapidly expanding U.S. artificial‑intelligence data centres. The deal will create about 1,000 highly skilled manufacturing jobs at Corning’s plants in North Carolina and includes a workforce‑development component with local community colleges.

Corning’s shares jumped more than 9% on the news, underscoring the market’s view of the contract as a major revenue source. The partnership reflects a broader shift in AI infrastructure, where glass‑based fiber‑optic cabling has become a critical bottleneck alongside chips and power. It also aligns with U.S. policy goals of onshoring key components of the AI supply chain.

Amazon’s investment in data‑centre infrastructure this year totals roughly $200 billion, with a portion earmarked for the North Carolina sites. The fiber‑optic deal strengthens Amazon’s ability to handle the massive data traffic required for large‑scale model training and deployment.