Key Takeaways
- Launch of Corning® Contour™ Form Micro Cable, a high-performance solution to increase fiber density in existing pathways, improve cable routing, and accelerate air-assisted installation for metro and long-distance AI data center interconnects.
- Showcase of high-capacity innovations, including the Corning® Multicore Fiber Solution and the MMC® Connector with PRIZM® TMT Ferrule technology for predictable, contactless, and dense optical connectivity.
- On display: Corning’s established portfolio of end-to-end passive Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) and Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) solutions designed to support scalable, high-bandwidth AI data center infrastructure through fiber-to-chip connectivity.
CORNING, N.Y. - Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW) will showcase new innovations designed to optimize AI data center networks at ECOC 2026, Europe's premier optical communications conference and exhibition. These innovations, which are part of Corning GlassWorks AI™ Solutions, include a new micro cable for enhanced cable routing, a multicore fiber solution to drive data center density, next-generation connectors to simplify and accelerate deployments, and co-packaged optics systems to enable scale-out of larger AI networks.
- What: European Conference and Exhibition on Optical Communications (ECOC) 2026
- When: September 20-24, 2026
- Where: Booth 1156, Pavillion 1, Trade Fairs and Congress Center of Málaga, Spain
"The rapid advancement of AI is fundamentally reshaping network requirements across Europe and beyond. Organizations today must simultaneously meet immediate connectivity demands while architecting for tomorrow's exponential growth,” said Claude Echahamian, Vice President and General Manager, Emerging Businesses and EMEA, Corning Optical Communications. “Corning delivers comprehensive, integrated solutions that streamline installations and accelerate time-to-market, enabling customers to scale with confidence. From advanced fiber technology and data center interconnects to subsea infrastructure and fiber-to-home broadband, Corning’s portfolio addresses the complete network ecosystem, helping drive the next era of global connectivity."
Corning experts will spotlight several solutions in the GlassWorks AI Solutions portfolio, including Corning® ContourTM Form Micro Cable, a high-density cable innovation that enables up to 50% more fiber in the same duct for a step-reduction in duct size, along with fast air-assisted installation. Optimized for metro and long-distance AI data center interconnectivity, the Contour Form Micro Cable helps operators maximize pathway utilization, accelerate deployment, and support scalable network growth using existing infrastructure. The cable leverages high-performance Corning® ContourTM fiber to deliver a compact footprint with installer-friendly features that simplify handling and installation.
Other innovations on display include:
MMC® Connector with PRIZM® TMT Ferrule Technology: Corning's MMC® connector featuring the PRIZM® TMT ferrule connector represents a breakthrough in optical connectivity. This expanded-beam ferrule technology integrates precision-aligned microlenses into the MMC® connector platform, enabling optical signals to transmit through a contactless connection rather than traditional fiber-to-fiber contact. The expanded-beam PRIZM TMT simplifies deployment by reducing connection complexities compared to physical-contact solutions. This innovative approach delivers high-volume scalability, in addition to faster and more efficient deployments. It also maintains consistent performance and is less sensitive to dust, debris, and real-world field-handling variability. The technology is designed to support insertion loss as low as 0.5 dB, helping meet the increasing performance demands of next-generation optical networks.
Corning® Multicore Fiber Solution: An integrated fiber, cable, and connectivity offering that packs four cores into a single fiber strand. This solution delivers a step-change in AI-focused network density by offering four times the capacity per fiber within the standard 125-micron cladding footprint. Such dense capacity per fiber simplifies data center installations by requiring up to 75% fewer connectors, which reduces cable mass by up to 70% and helps cut installation time by up to 60%.
Photonics Connectivity Solutions: Technology that brings fiber closer to the chip inside a data center, enabling improved reliability, higher bandwidth density, and better energy efficiency for AI applications. Corning will showcase its established end-to-end passive CPO and NPO solutions, which include detachable fiber-to-chip connectors, bend-resilient fibers optimized for CPO/NPO architectures, and pre-assembled passive optical management trays that simplify installation and enable scalable deployment.
Scale-up cable management system: This data center rack showcase demonstrates how high-density optical connectivity can help manage the growing cable demands of next-generation servers, GPUs, LPUs, and switches. As vertical connections within the rack increase, the cable jumper system fits neatly into a protective pathway, keeping cables organized and free from obstruction. The compact three-tray mini-rack also features a CPO-enabled optical backplane architecture, using light-based connections placed close to the chip to support faster, more efficient data movement.
Throughout ECOC 2026, Corning technology will be featured in several joint demonstrations and interactive sessions, including live showcases of multicore fiber solutions and co-packaged optics systems deployed in next-generation AI data centers. Beyond the exhibition floor, Corning technical experts will lead multiple presentations that share insights and best practices on AI-optimized data center architecture and advanced co-packaged optics systems.
For more information about Corning's innovations at ECOC 2026, visit Corning’s products page and media resources center.