On Monday, Amazon and Corning revealed a significant multiyear partnership valued in the billions of dollars to provide optical fiber, cable, and connectivity infrastructure for Amazon’s burgeoning data center operations throughout the United States.
Shares of Corning experienced a sharp rise, climbing over 9% during premarket hours and reaching approximately 10% gains by Monday morning trading. The stock has already seen remarkable growth in 2026, more than doubling in value largely due to increasing demand for fiber optic products.
Meanwhile, Amazon shares moved higher by roughly 1.2% following the announcement.
Under the terms of the partnership, Amazon will make direct investments to expand Corning’s North Carolina production capabilities. This expansion is projected to add 1,000 advanced manufacturing positions at these locations, alongside hundreds of construction jobs during the buildout phase.
The collaboration will also see Amazon partner with Corning to enhance the Fiber Optic Technician Training Program at Catawba Valley Community College, which aims to equip students with skills needed for careers in fiber optic manufacturing and technical positions.
Wendell Weeks, CEO of Corning, described the partnership as “a milestone for Corning and for American manufacturing,” emphasizing that Amazon’s investment will facilitate expanded production capabilities and “lead the way toward building a resilient U.S. manufacturing base.”
The strategic agreement aims to bolster the domestic supply chain for fiber and cable technologies that support Amazon’s data center operations.
The partnership announcement created positive momentum across the optical-networking sector. Coherent shares climbed approximately 6%, while Lumentum saw gains of nearly 4% following the news.
Marvell Technology also experienced an uptick of around 8.5%, although this increase was attributed to its forthcoming addition to the S&P 500 index rather than the Corning-Amazon partnership.
This marks the second significant partnership Corning has announced this year. Earlier in 2026, the company disclosed a multiyear agreement with Meta valued at up to $6 billion to support data center construction, which included plans to increase capacity at its Hickory, North Carolina operation and broaden its manufacturing presence statewide.
Monday’s Amazon partnership continues this positive trajectory and reinforces Amazon’s substantial presence in North Carolina, where the tech giant has poured more than $20 billion into investments since 2010 and currently employs over 26,000 individuals.
Additionally, Amazon revealed plans in the previous year to commit another $10 billion toward expanding its cloud computing infrastructure in North Carolina.
Specific financial details of the Corning agreement were not publicly released.
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