Apple announces another big multi-million dollar investment in Corning's Ceramic Shield

Apple announced today that it is making an additional $45 million investment from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund. A previous $450 million investment from the fund helped Corning develop the durable Ceramic Shield glass which debuted on the iPhone 12 series. It remains unknown whether the Ceramic Shield will remain exclusive to Apple or whether the glass will be offered to other phone manufacturers.

Corning produces glass for the iPhone out of a factory in Kentucky and the $5 billion Advanced Manufacturing fund offers upfront purchasing orders and investments to help Corning's U.S. operations. Corning supports over 1,000 jobs in the U.S. and Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams remembers the early days of the iPhone and Corning's contribution. " Originally, the iPhone was going to have a plastic screen but Steve Jobs noticed that the screens were easily scratched when carried in a pocket.

Just months before the phone was released in June 2007, Apple pressured Corning to mass-produce its scratch resistant Gorilla Glass. As Apple's COO says, "Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible. From the very first iPhone glass, to the revolutionary Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 12 lineup, our collaboration has changed the landscape of smartphone cover design and durability."

"Ceramic Shield is a prime example of the technologies that are possible when deep innovation meets the power of American manufacturing. We’re so proud to work alongside Corning, whose 170-year-old legacy is a testament to the ingenuity of the US workforce," Williams said.

Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman and chief executive officer, says, "We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Apple on Ceramic Shield, made possible in part through the Advanced Manufacturing Fund and the hard work and dedication of hundreds of individuals at Corning and Apple. We thank Apple for our longstanding product-development partnership and for their continued commitment to supporting the American workforce."