By Daniel Sparks
Publication Date: 2026-05-09 03:40:00
Shares of materials science specialist Corning (GLW +2.49%) surged earlier this week after the company announced a multi-year partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaker Nvidia. The deal, which dramatically expands U.S. manufacturing of the optical components that AI data centers rely on, sent the stock to fresh 52-week highs. With shares now up an incredible 315% over the last 12 months, the obvious question is whether this good news, combined with the company’s recent underlying strength, has already been priced in.
To be sure, the market’s enthusiasm makes sense. Beyond the Nvidia partnership, Corning has been quietly stacking up multibillion-dollar agreements with hyperscale customers, and it just stretched out its long-term growth plan through 2030. But with the stock up so sharply over the past year, investors may want to think carefully before chasing this rally.
Image source: Getty Images.
A massive AI partnership
Under the deal, Corning will build three new advanced manufacturing facilities in North Carolina and Texas to expand production of advanced optical technologies or Nvidia-accelerated AI infrastructure. The build-out is sizable — it should result in a 10x increase in the company’s U.S.-based optical connectivity manufacturing capacity and a more than 50% jump in U.S. fiber production capacity. The plants are also expected to create more than 3,000 jobs.
In return, Nvidia is putting real money behind the partnership. The chipmaker has…
