Amazon, Corning Partner on Fiber Optic Expansion to Power U.S. Data Center Infra Growth

Amazon announced a multibillion-dollar agreement with Corning, a leading manufacturer of advanced glass and fiber optic technology, to supply the optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions that power Amazon’s expanding data center infrastructure across the United States. 

The investment will create 1,000 new, highly skilled jobs at Corning’s manufacturing facilities across North Carolina, and support hundreds of additional construction jobs to expand Corning’s facilities.

Through the agreement, Amazon will work with Corning on a new program that will expand its Fiber Optic Technician Training Program with Catawba Valley Community College to train students for careers in fiber optic manufacturing and related technical roles. The program provides hands-on education and courses that will increase the talent pool and offer pathways to high-paying technical roles. The efforts will help strengthen the domestic supply chain and U.S. manufacturing base while serving the region and state to help expand residential and commercial fiber densification efforts.

Amazon’s investments in North Carolina have created more than 26,000 jobs across the state. 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, said Matt Garman, CEO of AWS.

Investing in North Carolina

This agreement with Corning is in addition to Amazon’s plans, announced last year, to invest $10 billion in North Carolina to expand cloud computing infrastructure. It builds on the more than $20 billion Amazon has invested in North Carolina since 2010, creating over 26,000 jobs spanning logistics, cloud infrastructure, and renewable energy across the Tar Heel State.

Every day, North Carolina is proving that American manufacturing and cutting-edge technology go hand in hand. This multibillion-dollar agreement, between Amazon and Corning, will create 1,000 family-sustaining jobs for hardworking North Carolinians while also strengthening the critical infrastructure of the U.S. supply chain. This partnership further proves that North Carolina is the number one state in the country for American businesses to invest, build, and grow. As a leading voice in the Senate for workforce development and American manufacturing, I am proud that we are continuing to capitalize on that momentum in North Carolina, said U.S. Senator Ted Budd.

Powering data centers, creating jobs, and fueling economic growth

Amazon’s data centers power the services millions of people and businesses rely on every day, from hospitals and emergency services to streaming entertainment and AI innovation. Corning’s fiber optics are a critical part of that infrastructure, and together, these investments help fuel the U.S. economic engine.

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, said Wendell Weeks, chairman, CEO, and president of Corning.

Amazon’s long-term commitment to North Carolina goes beyond direct investments and jobs created in the state. Through workforce development, Career Choice, and upskilling programs, Amazon has already provided practical training for nearly 7,000 people in North Carolina, helping to open new pathways for higher-paying jobs and fulfilling careers.

In the last decade, Amazon has contributed more than $72 million to charities and organizations supporting local needs across North Carolina, with $10 million provided in 2025 alone to 26 local community partners. This includes contributions like $1.5 million to enhance public safety services for southeastern Hamlet and surrounding Richmond County communities by funding a new fire substation that is expected to lower emergency response times and homeowner insurance premiums.

Matt Garman, CEO of AWS

Amazon’s investments in North Carolina have created more than 26,000 jobs across the state. 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,

U.S. Senator Ted Budd

Every day, North Carolina is proving that American manufacturing and cutting-edge technology go hand in hand. This multibillion-dollar agreement, between Amazon and Corning, will create 1,000 family-sustaining jobs for hardworking North Carolinians while also strengthening the critical infrastructure of the U.S. supply chain. This partnership further proves that North Carolina is the number one state in the country for American businesses to invest, build, and grow. As a leading voice in the Senate for workforce development and American manufacturing, I am proud that we are continuing to capitalize on that momentum in North Carolina,

Wendell Weeks, chairman, CEO, and president of Corning

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. manufacture

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Amazon and Corning partner to boost fiber optics manufacturing in North Carolina :: WRAL.com

E-commerce giant Amazon is partnering with industrial manufacturer Corning Inc. to expand data center infrastructure across the United States, a multibillion-dollar deal that is expected to create about 1,000 jobs at Corning plants in North Carolina, the companies said Friday.

The agreement comes on top of Amazon’s plans, announced last year, to invest $10 billion in North Carolina to expand cloud computing infrastructure. Amazon has invested at least $20 billion in North Carolina since 2010, creating over 26,000 jobs spanning logistics, cloud infrastructure, and renewable energy across the Tar Heel State, the companies said. 

“North Carolina is proving that American manufacturing and cutting-edge technology go hand in hand,” U.S. Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, said in a statement. He said the deal would strengthen the U.S. supply chain for data-center infrastructure. 

North Carolina has been a magnet for companies focused on updating the nation’s power grid to accommodate renewable energy and increased power demand from data centers. 

In April, Hitachi Energy said it would create 150 jobs in Cary as part of a new $10 million center expanding its local engineering and testing functions — its latest effort aimed at strengthening the North American power grid in part to help support artificial-intelligence data centers.  

In 2024, Siemens announced plans to expand its Siemens Electrification and Automation U.S. headquarters in Wendell to meet demand in its growing data center, semiconductor and utility sectors — one of several planned expansion by the company in the state.

A unit of Houston-based MetOx International, a maker of efficient power transmission cables, also said in 2024 that it plans to create 333 jobs and invest about $194 million in Chatham County — part of a long-range plan to provide more efficient power for data centers, medical diagnostics and more.

“I am proud that we are continuing to capitalize on that momentum in North Carolina,” Budd said in his statement. 

Amazon Web Services last year announced plans to invest $10 billion in a North Carolina cloud computing and artificial intelligence innovation center — one of the biggest investments in state history, according to state and local officials. The project is expected to bring about 500 high-paying jobs to a 20-building, 800-acre campus in Richmond County, the company said in June. The company’s data centers power hospitals and emergency services, streaming entertainment and AI. 

Corning, a manufacturer of advanced glass and fiber optic technology used in optical fiber and cable, is used in that kind of infrastructure.

“This agreement with Amazon represents a significant milestone for Corning and for American manufacturing,” Wendell Weeks, Corning’s chief executive, said in a statement. 

It was unclear where the Corning jobs would be located. A company spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for more information. 

Corning has manufactured optical fiber and cable in North Carolina for more than 40 years. The company employs more than 5,000 in plants across the state. Charlotte is home to Corning’s Optical Communications headquarters.  In 2023, the company opened an optical cable manufacturing campus in Hickory to support U.S. buildouts of high-speed fiber broadband networks. The company also manufactures optical fiber in Concord and Wilmington.

Through the agreement announced Thursday, Amazon will work with Corning on a new program that will expand its Fiber Optic Technician Training Program with Catawba Valley Community College to train students for careers in fiber optic manufacturing and related technical roles. 

The program provides hands-on education and courses that will increase the talent pool and offer pathways to high-paying technical roles. The efforts will help strengthen the domestic supply chain and U.S. manufacturing base while serving the region and state to help expand residential and commercial fiber densification efforts, the companies said.

“These long-term investments create long-term careers and real opportunity in the communities where we operate,” Matt Garman, the chief executive of Amazon Web Services, said in a statement.

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Aurelius Systems Opens U.S. Manufacturing Line for High-Power Fiber Lasers

Autonomous laser defense company launches domestic production of high-power laser sources

SAN FRANCISCO, April 29, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aurelius Systems, the autonomous laser defense company behind the Archimedes counter-UAS system, today announced Aurelius Manufacturing, a new division that will build high-power fiber laser source modules in the United States.

The U.S. defense laser supply chain has a gap. Demand for high-power fiber lasers is growing across military and industrial applications. A small number of established domestic manufacturers produce laser sources, but the market is shifting. Chinese laser companies have taken majority share in Asia Pacific, a region that accounts for nearly half the global fiber laser market, and are expanding into the U.S. through new automation products and service networks. For defense programs that need ITAR-compliant components from a supplier they can trace end to end, the pool of qualified domestic options is small and getting smaller relative to demand.

Aurelius set out to build Archimedes, its autonomous counter-UAS system, to give American forces scalable defense against drone threats. In doing so, the team found that domestic production of high-power fiber lasers has been shrinking for over a decade, with most remaining suppliers no longer American-owned. Aurelius Manufacturing is the company’s response: a U.S. production line for the same fiber laser source modules and components that sit at the heart of any directed-energy system, and that American manufacturers have had to import for years.

The launch comes as the Pentagon pushes to field laser weapons at scale within 36 months, backed by $250 million in directed energy R&D funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2027 budget requested more than quadruples that figure, proposing over $2 billion in directed energy RDT&E. The Army’s Enduring High Energy Laser program is moving toward its first production contract, with plans to acquire up to 24 systems. Navy leadership has called for lasers on every ship in the surface fleet. As these programs move from prototyping into production, the number of domestic suppliers building defense-grade laser sources has not kept pace. Lead times from qualified vendors are long, and the industrial base needs more capacity.

Aurelius Manufacturing’s first product is a compact, rack-integrated fiber laser source module rated at multi-kilowatt output. Units will be available from prototype quantities through full-rate production, with configurations tailored to directed-energy and industrial manufacturing applications.

Aurelius’s laser sources are designed to be ITAR-compliant with full domestic traceability and no dependency on foreign allocation schedules. For industrial customers running laser welding, metal cutting, surface treatment, or additive manufacturing lines, domestic production will mean shorter lead times and direct access to the engineers building the hardware.

“It’s clear the domestic production of high-power lasers in the US is significantly lower than necessary to support both our directed energy and defense needs. Laser system production has been continually offshored outside of our lands. In order to support our customers, the directed energy industry at large and the growing material processing industry in the US, we’ll be vertically integrating and producing lasers here in the homeland,” said Michael Laframboise, CEO of Aurelius Systems.

Production capacity reservations for Q1 2027 are open. Customers can reach Aurelius at aureliusmanufacturing.com.

About Aurelius Systems

Aurelius Systems is a San Francisco-based defense technology company building autonomous laser systems. Its first product, Archimedes, is a counter-drone system designed to defeat Group 1 and 2 UAS threats. Through Aurelius Manufacturing, the company is building domestic production of high-power fiber laser sources for defense and industrial customers. All products are designed and built in the United States. For more information, visit aureliussystems.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260429408874/en/

Contacts

Media Contacts:
Wilson Wiangchanok
marketing@aureliussystems.us

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