For even better glasses. Apple invested an additional $45 million in Corning

Corning, located in Kentucky, USA, is not only the manufacturer of the durable Gorilla Glass that is used by leading smartphone manufacturers (and even Apple until now), but also the Ceramic Shield glass that was first used in the iPhone 12. Apple has now given the company a financial injection that will expand production capacity and will advance research and development in the area of ​​innovative technologies. This is certainly not the first investment that Apple has poured into Corning. Over the last four years, it has already received 450 million dollars from the so-called Advanced Manufacturing fund of Apple. It's easy, though, because that investment helped facilitate the research and development of state-of-the-art glass processes, leading to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that's harder than any smartphone glass.

For a green future

Experts from both companies collaborated on the development of the new glass ceramic. The new material was created by high-temperature crystallization, which forms nanocrystals in the glass matrix that are small enough that the resulting material is still transparent. The embedded crystals traditionally affect the transparency of the material, which is a crucial factor for the front glass of the iPhone. Not only the camera, but also the sensors for Face ID, which require absolute "optical purity" for their functionality, have to go through this.

The Corning brand has a long history, as it has been on the market for 170 years. Apart from iPhones, Apple also supplies glass for iPads and Apple Watch. Apple's investment will also help support more than 1 jobs at Corning's American operations. The long-term relationship between the two companies is based on unique expertise, a strong community and, last but not least, a commitment to protecting the environment.

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Corning is part of the Apple Clean Energy Program, which is designed to accelerate the use of renewable energy throughout the company's supply chain, and is an integral part of Apple's efforts to reach a carbon neutral level by 2030. As part of this commitment, Corning has deployed several "clean" energy solutions, including the recent installation of a solar panel system at its Harrodsburg, Kentucky facility. In doing so, the company secured enough renewable energy to cover all of its production for Apple in the US. As all published press rights state, Ceramic Shield glass was the result of a mutual collaboration between the two companies. It cannot therefore be assumed that other manufacturers will be able to use it. It should remain exclusive to the new iPhones for now.

Apple Advanced Manufacturing Fund 

Apple supports 2,7 million jobs in all 50 US states and recently announced plans to add an additional 20 jobs across the country, contributing more than $430 billion to the US economy over the next five years. These investments include working with more than 9 suppliers and companies in companies large and small across dozens of industries, including 000G infrastructure and manufacturing. Apple established its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to support world-class innovation and high-skilled manufacturing jobs in the US back in 5.