By Anthony Di Pizio
Publication Date: 2026-01-21 17:15:00
This semiconductor equipment powerhouse could be set for another strong year in 2026.
According to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, data center operators could spend up to $4 trillion annually on upgrading their infrastructure to meet demand from artificial intelligence (AI) developers by 2030. As the supplier of the world’s best chips for AI workloads, his company will benefit significantly from that spending, but so will a long list of other suppliers of chips, components, and equipment.
Corning (GLW +1.29%) is one of them, and it often flies under the radar in the AI space. The company is best known for supplying the glass for Apple‘s iPhone since 2007, but its fiber optic cables for data centers are helping AI developers move information between chips and devices much faster than traditional copper solutions.
Corning stock soared by 84% in 2025, crushing Nvidia stock, which climbed by a still-respectable 39%. The company is scheduled to report its operating results for the fourth quarter (ended Dec. 31) on Jan. 28, and they are likely to cap off the strongest year in its history. More importantly, investors will get a first look at management’s guidance for 2026, which could dictate the direction of the stock from here.
Image source: Getty Images.
The transition from copper to fiber will transform Corning’s business
AI development requires a substantial amount of computing power, which is why most of it happens in large data centers filled with thousands of specialized…
