NVIDIA announced on May 6, 2026, a multiyear commercial and technology partnership with glass and optics giant Corning Incorporated. The deal aims to dramatically expand U.S. production of the optical connectivity solutions that power AI infrastructure: Corning will increase its U.S.-based optical connectivity manufacturing capacity by 10x, raise U.S. fiber production capacity by more than 50 %, and build three new advanced manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas, creating more than 3,000 high-paying American jobs[1].

What is in the deal: 10x optical capacity and three new plants

Both companies frame the partnership as a bid to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing base needed to support the AI factory buildout. The expanded Corning capacity is intended to supply the optical connectivity that hyperscale data centers rely on to deploy NVIDIA accelerated computing at scale, against a backdrop of AI workloads that demand thousands of NVIDIA GPUs and unprecedented volumes of high-performance optical fiber, connectivity and photonics[1].

Corning, the inventor of low-loss optical fiber and a 175-year veteran of glass science and optical physics, is uniquely positioned to scale supply for AI-era data center fiber demand[1]. Following the announcement, CNBC reported that Corning shares jumped 15 % while NVIDIA shares rose roughly 3 %[2].

Comments from the two CEOs: "intelligence at the speed of light"

NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang said in the release: "AI is driving the largest infrastructure buildout of our time — and a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvigorate American manufacturing and supply chains. 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."[1]

Corning chairman, CEO and president Wendell P. Weeks added: "What NVIDIA is doing is nothing short of extraordinary, not just for the future of artificial intelligence, but for the American advanced manufacturing workforce. 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."[1]

Context: Spectrum-X Photonics, CPO and the optical wave to come

Behind the partnership is NVIDIA's strategy to replace electrical with optical signaling between GPUs in AI factories. NVIDIA has already unveiled "Spectrum-X Photonics," Ethernet switches that integrate co-packaged optics (CPO) directly onto the ASIC, claiming up to 400 Tb/s of bandwidth and, in combination with silicon photonics, delivering 3.5x power efficiency and 10x resiliency[3]. Availability is set for the second half of 2026, with the goal of scaling AI clusters past the limits of electrical signaling and into the million-GPU range[3].

NVIDIA's silicon photonics ecosystem partners include TSMC, Foxconn, Coherent, Lumentum and Sumitomo Electric — and Corning is named alongside them[3]. Bringing three new U.S. plants online via this long-term deal would secure domestic supply of the fiber and connectivity components needed when Spectrum-X Photonics moves into volume production. Corning, on its own blog, also positions the NVIDIA collaboration as a pillar of its CPO development roadmap[4].

まとめ

The NVIDIA-Corning long-term partnership physically anchors the AI factory's pivot from electrical to optical signaling in expanded U.S. manufacturing footprints. The headline numbers — 10x optical capacity, more than 50 % more fiber, three new plants and over 3,000 new jobs — line up squarely with the volume timing of Spectrum-X Photonics. It is a symbolic statement that AI infrastructure investment is shifting toward "designed and built in America."

出典:https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-and-corning-announce-long-term-partnership-to-strengthen-us-manufacturing-for-ai-infrastructure

出典:https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/06/nvidia-corning-optical-factories-nc-texas-ai.html

出典:https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-spectrum-x-co-packaged-optics-networking-switches-ai-factories

出典:https://www.corning.com/optical-communications/worldwide/en/home/the-signal-network-blog/corning-and-nvidia-to-propel-ai-connectivity.html