Corning has begun construction of a new optical connectivity manufacturing facility in Pune, expanding its India footprint to serve rising demand from hyperscale and AI-driven data centers, as the country’s digital infrastructure buildout accelerates.
The new unit will be co-located with Corning’s existing optical fiber plant in Pune, which has been operational since 2012. The expansion marks a strategic shift from fiber-only production toward higher-value optical connectivity products tailored for large-scale data center and AI workloads.
The company said the upcoming facility will manufacture differentiated optical connectivity products primarily targeted at hyperscale operators and AI-centric data center deployments across India and the wider region. The site is expected to be inaugurated later in 2026.
AI and hyperscale demand reshaping optical supply chains
The investment comes as AI training clusters, cloud expansion and high-density compute environments drive a sharp increase in demand for high-capacity, low-latency optical interconnects inside and between data centers. AI infrastructure typically requires significantly more fiber density and advanced connectivity architectures compared with traditional enterprise workloads.
India’s data center market is currently in a rapid growth phase, supported by AI adoption, cloud localization, digital public infrastructure platforms and enterprise modernization. Industry forecasts project multi-gigawatt capacity additions over the next several years, with hyperscalers and domestic operators expanding campuses across multiple metro and emerging locations.
By adding local optical connectivity manufacturing, Corning is positioning itself closer to these buildouts and shortening supply chains for critical components used in high-speed data center networks.
“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.”
From fiber to full connectivity stack
Corning has long been a major supplier of optical fiber and connectivity systems globally, but the Pune expansion signals a deeper push into integrated optical connectivity solutions designed specifically for modern data center architectures. It faces competition from companies like STL and HFCL in India
“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 company said the project will generate hundreds of jobs and aligns with India’s broader push to expand advanced manufacturing and electronics supply chains under domestic production and digital infrastructure programs.
Strategic timing amid AI infrastructure surge
The timing of the investment is notable. AI infrastructure rollouts are not only increasing total fiber consumption but also shifting demand toward pre-terminated, high-performance optical connectivity systems that can accelerate deployment and reduce operational complexity inside large data center campuses.
Hyperscale and AI operators are also placing greater emphasis on energy efficiency, density and modular deployment models — areas where advanced optical connectivity design plays a central role.
