Corning, based in Corning, New York, plans to expand its optical connectivity manufacturing in Pune, in western India, to meet demand from artificial intelligence data centers, The company makes specialty glass, ceramics and optical products.
The new facility will sit next to Corning’s existing optical fiber plant in Pune, which has operated since 2012. It will make connectivity products for data center and telecom customers. The company has not disclosed how much it is investing or how much capacity the plant will add, according to the report.
Sudhir Pillai, who leads Corning’s business in India, the Middle East and Africa, said demand for fiber has grown substantially over the past two years, driven by telecom networks and artificial intelligence data centers. He expects that to continue for several years. “The additional capacity is expected to come online in 2027,” he said.
Glass for phones, drugs and cars
Fiber is one part of Corning’s plans. Pillai said mobile device makers and drug companies in India need more glass. Corning will make smartphone cover glass and screen protectors in India through a joint venture, for local use and export. It also makes glass vials for pharmaceuticals, and ceramic substrates and filters for vehicles. The company is discussing products for the next vehicle emissions standard with automakers, who need them months before the rules take effect.
According to the report, a local display glass plant depends on television panel factories being built in India first, and making Gorilla Glass locally depends on price, scale and the local supplier base.
Why this matters
Corning opened the Pune fiber plant in 2012 with an investment of more than $100 million. Adding a second plant beside it, at a site the company already runs, shows how a foreign manufacturer can build on a long-standing base in India as demand shifts to data centers.
