Corning has begun a Corning Hickory fiber plant expansion in North Carolina, breaking ground on a major new facility tied to growing demand for AI-driven data center infrastructure.
The project follows a supply agreement with Meta for high-density optical fiber, cable and connectivity solutions.
Corning Hickory fiber plant expansion boosts manufacturing capacity
The new facility at the Trivium Corporate Center site in Hickory is expected to exceed 275,000 sq ft.
According to project developers and local officials, the investment could total between $170 million and nearly $268 million, while creating more than 125 new jobs.
Meta agreement supports long-term growth
Meta will serve as the anchor customer for the expansion, which is focused on supplying high-fiber-count cable systems for hyperscale and AI-oriented data centers.
Corning said the agreement could support a 15–20% increase in the company’s employment across North Carolina, where it already employs more than 5,000 people in fiber and cable operations.
Facility designed for AI-era connectivity
The Corning Hickory fiber plant expansion will produce high-density optical cable systems needed to support rapidly growing data workloads.
Corning and Meta noted that AI infrastructure growth is expected to require millions of miles of fiber as cloud and data center capacity continue to scale.
Expansion continues long-term investment strategy
The latest project builds on a series of earlier expansions in Hickory.
Corning first established operations at the Trivium site in 2018 with an initial cable manufacturing facility, followed by additional investments in 2021 that significantly expanded production and employment.
Hickory campus positioned as major fiber hub
The Hickory complex is expected to become one of the world’s largest optical cable manufacturing sites focused on AI-era demand.
Corning leadership said the project highlights the company’s continued investment in U.S.-based manufacturing and advanced optical infrastructure.
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