Corning plans up to 1,000 new NC jobs as part of $6B Meta data center growth deal
The Charlotte area and the state are at the center of a massive new $6 billion partnership announced Tuesday between Corning Inc. and tech giant Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook and Instagram.
The deal is designed to accelerate the build-out of advanced data centers in the U.S. to support Meta’s rapidly expanding AI infrastructure. Corning plans to significantly expand its manufacturing capabilities across North Carolina, resulting in close to 1,000 more jobs.
The fiber optic giant Corning already has over 5,000 workers in the state and a major division headquarters in Charlotte.
The new deal will include a significant capacity expansion at Corning’s optical cable manufacturing facility in Hickory, an hour north of Charlotte. Meta will serve as the anchor customer for the optical fiber, cable and connectivity products there.
Tuesday’s announcement takes into account Corning Optical’s expansion plan that was announced in October to hire at least 132 people and invest between $170 million to $268 million in Hickory. Corning Optical will take over a lot that covers almost 33 acres in Trivium Corporate Center. The average annual salaries will exceed $65,000.
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The investment is projected to create new, skilled positions in the state — a 15% to 20% increase in Corning’s employment in North Carolina, Corning Chairman and CEO Wendell Weeks said in the announcement. Jobs include scientists, engineers and production teams.
While data centers have steadily grown over the past decades with internet usage, the AI boom with models like ChatGPT require immense computational power requiring additional and bigger data centers. Like other regions in the U.S., North Carolina and the Charlotte region are seeing a surge in proposed data center projects, leading to growing public opposition in many communities.
What the Corning and Meta expansion means for N.C.
Here are key elements of Corning’s partnership with Meta:
- Corning supplying advanced optical products designed for the density and scale of AI data centers.
- The establishment of a new optical cable manufacturing facility and expanded production capacity across Corning’s existing North Carolina operations.
- Projected employment growth supporting more than 5,000 employees in the state, with thousands of jobs tied directly to the optical fiber and cable facilities.
Corning’s presence in North Carolina
Corning Optical, a division of New York-based Corning Inc., has its headquarters in Charlotte. Corning has fiber manufacturing facilities in Wilmington and Concord, and cable manufacturing plants in Winston-Salem, Newton and Hickory.
Corning Optical builds glass components for fiber-optic cable and communications equipment.
The company previously increased operations in Catawba County in 2021, investing $150 million and creating 200 jobs.
Corning Optical was once headquartered in Hickory but announced it was moving to Riverbend Village in Chalrotte in 2016.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 11:12 AM with the headline "Corning plans up to 1,000 new NC jobs as part of $6B Meta data center growth deal."
