Apple Inc., Cupertino, Calif., announces that it is awarding $250 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to Corning Inc., to supports Corning’s research and development into state-of-the-art glass processes, equipment, and materials integral to the delivery of next-generation electronic devices. Glass for every generation of iPhone has been made at Corning’s plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.
Apple and Corning have been product development partners for more than a decade, and the Harrodsburg facility has played a key role in delivering glass solutions for the iPhone since its inception in 2007, when Gorilla Glass revolutionized the industry. Some of the most important innovations in glass have happened at the Kentucky plant — glass for every generation of iPhone and Apple Watch, and many generations of iPad, have all been made in the Harrodsburg facility. Since iPhone launched in 2007, Apple has spent nearly $3 billion with Corning on the glass used in iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad.
“This Advanced Manufacturing Fund award will allow us to develop groundbreaking new glass innovations, while also expanding our manufacturing capabilities,” said Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman, chief executive officer and president. “Most important, our ongoing collaboration allows us to create vital new capabilities for end users and continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible well into the future.”
The newest iPhone models feature the toughest glass ever in a smartphone, as well as a back machined from a single piece of glass that allows for wireless charging. Apple spent a collective $60 billion with 9000 American suppliers in 2018, supporting 450,000 jobs in all 50 states and manufacturing locations in 36 states. Every one of the company’s core products contains parts or materials from the United States, or is made with equipment from U.S.-based suppliers.
