Corning Exec Says AI, Broadband Driving Surge in Fiber Demand
Demand for high-capacity networks is accelerating as new technologies strain existing infrastructure.
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2026 – The fiber broadband industry is experiencing a new phase of rapid growth as expanding residential broadband networks and rising demand from artificial intelligence applications drive investment in network infrastructure, a Corning executive said Wednesday.
Speaking during a Fiber Broadband Association event, Mike O’Day, senior vice president and general manager of optical communications at Corning, said the industry is seeing simultaneous demand from fiber-to-the-home deployments and hyperscale data center investment.
“I don’t think I’ve actually ever seen anything like what we are experiencing right now in the industry,” O’Day said. “You have these two powerful trends of fiber to the home and generative AI coming together at the same time.”
Headquartered in Corning, New York, Corning is a $125 billion materials science company that manufactures optical fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions used by telecommunications providers, data center operators, and enterprise networks. The company has been a major supplier to broadband and cloud infrastructure projects in the U.S. and internationally.
O’Day said record broadband deployment is increasing usage of data-intensive applications, which in turn is driving new investment in network infrastructure, including fiber connectivity between data centers and within AI systems.
He said demand is particularly strong from hyperscale cloud providers building out AI-focused data centers, where fiber is used to connect servers, GPUs, and facilities across regions.
To meet that demand, O’Day said Corning has expanded manufacturing capacity in recent years and is continuing to invest in U.S.-based production of fiber and cable.
He also spoke on concerns about supply constraints tied to federally funded broadband projects, including the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program, saying industry capacity is sufficient and that manufacturers are working to align production with deployment timelines.
O’Day said new fiber designs that increase capacity and reduce latency will be critical as AI workloads place greater strain on network infrastructure, further reinforcing fiber’s role as a foundational component of next-generation communications networks.
Member discussion