(The Center Square) – Amazon and Corning have a multi-billion dollar deal bringing 1,000 new jobs to the advanced glass and fiber optic technology manufacturer’s plants in North Carolina, each company said Monday.
It’s another Big Five tech win for the state. In January, Corning announced a $6 billion deal with Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, in a buildout of the most advanced data centers nationwide with impact also specific to Ohio and Louisiana.
The Big Five tech companies, as they are colloquially known, are Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet. Former names were Facebook rather than Meta, and Google rather than Alphabet.
Corning, global market share leader in optical fiber and cable production, has facilities at Hickory, Newton, Concord, Midland, Winston-Salem, Durham, Wilmington and Tarboro.
“Amazon’s investments in North Carolina have created more than 26,000 jobs across the state,” said Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services. “This multibillion-dollar agreement with Corning continues that commitment, channeling investment into American manufacturing and creating 1,000 new jobs at their facilities near our data centers. We’re also partnering to train North Carolinians for highly skilled roles in fiber optics and fusion splicing. These long-term investments create long-term careers and real opportunity in the communities where we operate.”
Wendell Weeks, chairman, CEO and president of Corning, said in part, “For 175 years, Corning has pioneered the technologies that connect people and transform industries. Amazon’s investment will help us expand production, create 1,000 new advanced manufacturing jobs at our facilities, and lead the way toward building a resilient U.S. manufacturing base.”
Catawba Valley Community College, about 50 miles northwest of Charlotte in Hickory, will benefit from the two companies’ collaboration to train students for roles in the facilities.
Data is moved between thousands of processors in artificial intelligence data centers through Corning’s optical fiber products.
Corning’s markets include optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display, automotive, solar, semiconductors, and life sciences, the company says. In May, it reached agreement with Nvidia for American expansion of fiber optics.
In June 2025, Amazon said it would invest $10 billion toward its Amazon Web Services data center supply chain innovation campus in Richmond County along the South Carolina border.
