Corning's stock surged 259% in the past year as AI demand for fiber-optic cables took off; Nvidia partnership aims to expand manufacturing capacity.

Corning, a 175-year-old manufacturer of high-tech glass and fiber-optic communications cable, saw its shares skyrocket 259% over the past year. The surge was driven by massive demand for its fiber-optic cables, which transmit large amounts of data both outside and inside data centers as AI infrastructure scales.

In 2018, Corning engineered a thinner, more flexible fiber-optic cable after realizing existing cables couldn't make the tight turns required to connect multiple servers in data centers. When AI technology arrived requiring massive data transmission capacity, Corning's cable became the obvious choice and entered very high demand.

Corning has reached manufacturing capacity limits on its in-demand fiber-optic cables. Nvidia is stepping in to help build three new facilities to increase production capacity, though those facilities will take time to construct. In Q1 2026, net sales rose 36% year over year while net income rose 93% year over year, but it remains unclear whether growth can be sustained until new facilities come online.