Apple and Corning have announced an expanded partnership to manufacture all cover glass for iPhone and Apple Watch at Corning’s facility in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. Under this new agreement, Apple will invest $2.5 billion to ensure that every unit of iPhone and Apple Watch sold worldwide will feature cover glass produced in the United States for the first time.
Corning plans to create what it calls the world’s largest and most advanced smartphone glass production line at the Harrodsburg site. The entire facility will now be dedicated to producing glass for Apple, which is expected to increase Corning’s manufacturing and engineering workforce in Kentucky by 50 percent. In addition, a new Apple-Corning Innovation Center will be established at the plant to support development of advanced materials and next-generation manufacturing methods for future products.
These developments are part of Apple’s broader plan to invest more than $600 billion in the U.S. economy over four years through its American Manufacturing Program (AMP). This initiative aims to encourage global companies to onshore production and manufacture more critical components within the United States.
“Corning is a storied American company, and we’re thrilled to work together to build the largest and most advanced production line ever created for smartphone glass,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Thanks to the power of American manufacturing, any customer anywhere in the world who buys a new iPhone or Apple Watch will be holding precision glass made right here in Kentucky. We’re grateful to the President and his administration for their support for American manufacturing, and we’re excited for the innovation this investment will unlock.”
“Apple is an amazing partner for American manufacturers like us, and together, we’ve innovated and pushed the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Wendell Weeks, Corning’s CEO. “We developed and made the glass for the very first iPhone in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, 18 years ago. With this new multibillion-dollar commitment from Apple and the lighting of our most advanced manufacturing platform, we are hiring more people and bringing 100 percent of Apple’s cover glass needs for iPhone and Apple Watch to the original home of the innovation.”
The partnership between Apple and Corning dates back to 2007 with production beginning on glass components used in early iPhones at Harrodsburg. Today, that facility produces Ceramic Shield—the toughened material used on current devices—which resulted from close collaboration between engineers from both companies.
Since establishing its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017, Apple has invested nearly $500 million into Corning’s operations in Kentucky as well as spending billions more on domestically manufactured glass products.
Corning also supplies raw materials used by GlobalWafers—another AMP company—which manufactures silicon wafers needed for advanced chipmaking within America. This means Corning plays a significant role not only in producing cover glass but also supporting Apple’s domestic supply chain for silicon chips.
Apple currently partners with thousands of suppliers across all fifty states supporting over 450,000 jobs through its network of suppliers and partners nationwide. Over four years ahead, it plans direct hires totaling 20,000 positions focused primarily on research & development—including fields such as silicon engineering as well as software development related to artificial intelligence.
