Corning Incorporated has broken ground on a new optical connectivity manufacturing facility in Pune, India, co-locating it with its existing optical fiber manufacturing plant that has been operational since 2012. The new facility expands the company’s manufacturing presence in India and is aimed at supporting demand from hyperscale and artificial intelligence-driven data centres.
The facility will manufacture optical connectivity products primarily for hyperscale and AI-driven data centre applications. The expansion broadens Corning’s India operations beyond optical fiber manufacturing into optical connectivity solutions aligned with data-intensive computing and cloud infrastructure requirements. The facility is scheduled to be inaugurated later in 2026.
“This groundbreaking marks Corning’s commitment to addressing future connectivity demands and supporting digital infrastructure growth in the region,” said William Wallace, Vice President, APAC Regional Sales, Data Center, Corning. “This facility marks a significant step in expanding operations from optical fiber manufacturing to supporting hyperscale data centers and AI-driven connectivity solutions.”
Corning has operated in India for more than a decade and has supplied optical connectivity solutions to meet increasing regional demand over this period.
“Our optical fiber plant is now positioned to serve hyperscalers and AI driven data centres,” said Sudhir Pillai, Managing Director, Corning India, Middle East, and Africa. “The new facility will help create hundreds of jobs. The project also reflects Corning’s strong commitment to this region and our customers, while supporting our long-term vision of becoming vital to India’s manufacturing growth.”
The investment coincides with ongoing expansion in India’s data centre sector, driven by growth in cloud services, digital applications, and data consumption. Optical connectivity infrastructure plays a central role in enabling high-capacity and low-latency networks required for large-scale data processing and artificial intelligence workloads.
Corning Incorporated operates across multiple markets including optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display technologies, automotive applications, solar energy, semiconductors, and life sciences, with a focus on materials science, manufacturing, and engineering capabilities.
