Susana Schwartz
Glass manufacturer Corning lands $6B Meta deal
How is it that a 175-year-old glass manufacturer tucked away in upstate New York is fast-becoming the darling of AI companies? This week, Corning landed a $6 billion deal for advanced fiber-optic cables and connectivity solutions for Meta, and it has landed other deals with Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Lumen, AT&T, Broadcom, and Nvidia have also been reported. Corning is quickly becoming renowned for its near-flawless glass and gen-AI fiber optics, which allow light signals to travel great distances with very little distortion. Its glass also supports silicon wafers in GPUs, and by combining glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics, Corning is reinventing itself as a one-stop shop for AI data center infrastructure. RCRTech will soon profile the company, so keep your eyes open for the interview. In the meantime, read about the recent Meta deal in “What you need to know,” below, as well as our other top news stories and insights for the day.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
Blue Origin TeraWave: Jeff Bezos’ 6 Tbps space-based network will accelerate data center construction, providing 5,408-satellite mesh connectivity to remote or underserved locations — offering high-capacity, LEO/MEO links for AI.
Boosting data center demand: At PTC’26, Bank of America’s Joe Valenti said top hyperscalers will invest $602 billion of capital in DC infrastructure in 2026. With a 1.6% vacancy rate for U.S. real estate, they will bring more supply to meet demand.
Google Cloud in Bangkok: Google Cloud launched a new, three-zone cloud region in Bangkok, part of a $1 billion investment to boost Thailand’s digital infrastructure and AI capabilities — soon to link to the Mobile World Live TalayLink subsea cable.
AI Today: What You Need to Know
$6 billion Meta – Corning deal: Meta will pay Corning up to $6 billion through 2030 for fiber-optic cable in its AI data centers. Corning CEO Wendell Weeks is planning to build the largest fiber-optic cable plant in the world.
Microsoft AI inference: Microsoft’s Maia 200 is a next-gen AI accelerator designed for high-performance inference in Azure, with more than10 petaFLOPS of performance and what Microsoft claims is 30% better cost-efficiency.
JPMorgan AI systems: Inside large banks, AI has moved into a new category, becoming part of baseline operating costs. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said greater AI investment is required to keep pace with competitors.
Anthropic chosen by UK govt.: Anthropic has been selected by the The UK’s Dept. for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) to modernize how citizens interact with complex state services, with agentic system powered by Claude.
OpenAI – Gates Foundation partner: AI in healthcare and “digital doctors” will be tested through Horizon1000, a $50 million joint initiative that aims to integrate AI into 1,000 primary healthcare clinics across several African countries by 2028.
SAP – Fresenius sovereign AI: SAP and Fresenius are building an open and integrated ecosystem allowing hospitals to use AI securely. The companies will create a digital backbone for a sovereign and AI-supported healthcare system.
