Lumen and Corning Incorporated have announced an agreement for a substantial supply of next-generation optical cable.
The agreement reserves 10% of Corning’s global fiber capacity for each of the next two years to interconnect AI-enabled data centers
This fiber-dense cable will more than double Lumen’s U.S. intercity fiber miles, offering significant capacity to major cloud data centers racing to stay ahead of AI workloads and high bandwidth applications fuelled by massive amounts of data.
The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence requires at least 10 times more fiber connections within data centers, as well as a robust fiber network to transmit information between these data hubs.
With this agreement, Lumen reserves 10% of Corning’s global fiber capacity for each of the next two years.
The agreement, Lumen’s largest cable purchase, will equip Lumen to meet the network infrastructure needs of major data center operators for years to come, including Microsoft, which recently announced that it is investing with Lumen to support the rising demand on its data centers.
“Lumen is the network that delivers AI. The rise of AI is driving technology companies to quickly secure fiber and bandwidth before their competition,” said Kate Johnson, President and CEO, Lumen Technologies.
“With Corning’s innovative solutions, we’re building the backbone of the AI economy. This partnership gives Lumen status as a preferred partner and secures a significant supply of next-generation fiber today and in the future.”
Lumen has the largest ultra-low-loss intercity fiber network in North America. Its U.S. intercity network includes diverse routes to more than 50 major cities across the country. Lumen distinguishes its network from others in the industry by continuously upgrading its infrastructure using a multi-conduit system – allowing for the quick deployment of the latest fiber technology.
“As generative AI increases bandwidth requirements between data centers, we’re pleased to reach an agreement with Lumen Technologies to provide our latest optical fiber and cable innovations to facilitate Lumen’s build of a new network to interconnect AI-enabled data centers,” said Wendell P. Weeks, Chairman and CEO, Corning Incorporated.
“This marks the first outside-plant deployment of Corning’s new gen-AI fiber and cable system, which will enable Lumen to fit anywhere from two-to-four times the amount of fiber into their existing conduit.”
To properly power AI with capacity, performance, stability and speed, Lumen is creating a digital platform on top of its physical network allowing cloud-like consumption of network services. Lumen’s Private Connectivity Fabric is a custom network that includes dedicated access to existing fiber in the Lumen network, the installation of new fiber on existing and new routes and access to Lumen’s digital services.
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