Corning Inc., the US-based materials science company known for Gorilla Glass, has inaugurated a new optical connectivity manufacturing facility in Pune, Maharashtra, as it looks to capitalise on growing demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centres and telecommunications networks. The company is also planning to expand capacity at the facility in 2027.

The new plant is located alongside Corning’s existing optical fibre manufacturing facility in Pune, which was established in 2012. It will manufacture optical connectivity products for data centres and telecom networks, enabling the company to offer customers an integrated range of solutions from a single location.

Gokhan Doran, International Vice President and General Manager at Corning, told Moneycontrol that India is becoming increasingly important to the company’s global growth strategy. He said the Pune facility would cater to domestic and international markets depending on customer demand.

The expansion comes amid rising investments in AI infrastructure, which are driving demand for high-capacity optical networks and faster data transmission. While the current data centre investment cycle has been particularly strong in the US, Corning expects demand to grow across global markets.

Separately, Corning’s glass-finishing facility near Chennai, operated through Bharat Innovative Glass Technologies (BIG Tech), a joint venture with Optiemus Infracom, has entered trial production. The plant will manufacture finished cover-glass components for smartphones, tablets and laptops. Once commercial operations begin, it is expected to achieve an annual capacity of 30 million units.

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The facility is currently undergoing operational ramp-up and customer qualification processes, which Doran said were progressing as expected.

Corning is also investing in pharmaceutical glass tubing manufacturing in Telangana through its joint venture with SGD Pharma.

With nearly 60 years of presence in India, the company is exploring opportunities across consumer electronics, automotive and pharmaceuticals, including smartphone back glass and foldable-device technologies.

Doran said India was steadily emerging as a key player in global manufacturing and supply chains.