Corning presents vision to support UAE’s next-level growth through glass innovation

Corning is proud to present its innovations at the inaugural CORTechX technology symposium in the Middle East, held on November 12, 2025, in Dubai. This event showcases how Corning’s cutting-edge technologies are enabling faster data connections, advancing medical breakthroughs, and creating energy-smart spaces — emphasizing its renewed commitment to the region’s vision for AI, smart infrastructure, life sciences, and sustainability.

Corning in the UAE and Gulf Corporation Council

Corning has had a presence in the UAE for nearly 20 years, empowering in-building networks with optical fiber and cabling solutions.

For over 10 years, Corning’s life sciences products have supported research, diagnostics, and bioprocessing in the region.

Corning maintains a network of local partners, distributors, and integrators in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, fostering collaboration and innovation through training and certification programs.

“For decades, Corning has been quietly enabling progress across the UAE and Middle East – supporting networks, laboratories, and technologies that connect people and data. From AI-enabling technologies, advanced diagnostics, consumer electronics innovations, and energy-smart spaces, Corning’s technologies are empowering industries across telecommunications, life sciences, mobile consumer electronics, sustainability, and smart infrastructure.” – Gokhan Doran, International Vice President and General Manager, Corning International

“The Middle East and especially the UAE is at an inflection point. With its vision for AI, smart infrastructure, life sciences, and sustainability, this region now mirrors everything Corning stands for – Innovation, Quality, Performance, and creating long-term value. We are here today to not only introduce Corning, but also reemphasize our commitment to the region.” – Sudhir Pillai, Managing Director, Corning India, President, Corning India, Middle East, and Africa.

Corning Transforming the telecommunications industry for nearly 50 years.

As the inventor of the world’s first low-loss optical fiber in 1970, Corning revolutionized global connectivity. Today, Corning’s fibers are 100 times better than the original invention, offering unmatched performance.

Corning’s Vision for AI Data Centers – Enabling Generative AI Through Glass

Generative AI (Gen AI) is transforming industries, and at its core is Corning’s revolutionary glass technology, which plays a pivotal role in enabling AI. From optical fiber networks to semiconductor components, Corning’s glass innovations are driving AI forward. Corning holds over 1,000 approved and pending patents related to data centers, with 100 patents filed in the last year alone.

Inside Data Centers: Scaling Fiber Density

Gen AI requires greater fiber density to network GPUs (Graphical Processing Units) effectively.

Optical fiber, invented by Corning over 50 years ago, is critical for high-speed data transmission and allows for compact server environments that maximize processing power.

With 72-GPU nodes, fiber density needs have increased 16x compared to traditional cloud architectures.

Corning is already innovating to meet future GPU demands, ensuring space optimization with slimmer fibers and connectors.

Outside Data Centers: Driving more fiber connections between cities

To accommodate growing GPU cluster sizes with the massive computer power required for today’s Gen AI learning models, data centers are expanding into campuses with multiple data halls. And operators need to quickly build out high-density connections to get these data enters up and running. Corning is uniquely positioned to meet these needs.

Power and land constraints, as well as varying regulatory frameworks, are prompting data centers to spread out into regional hubs – creating a need for long-haul networks to connect them. We call this our Data Center Interconnect segment, or DCI. DCI cables have to maximize data flow between data centers, and that requires high fiber density, lower attenuation and fast installation.

Corning GlassWorks AI – Tailored Solutions for Gen AI Data Centers

Corning’s GlassWorks AI provides a comprehensive suite of products and services to enable agile, scalable, and high-density networks for the demands of generative AI. Leveraging optical innovation and industry collaboration, we offer solutions that unlock AI’s full potential:

Corning SMF-28 Contour Optical Fiber: 40% slimmer than conventional fibers, enabling compact designs.

Corning Contour Flow Cable: Doubles the density of traditional optical cables for faster deployment.

Corning MMC Connector: Boasts 36x the density of standard connectors.

Customized Connectivity Solutions: Tailored designs for unique network architectures, accelerating installation and reducing errors.

Corning’s Groundbreaking Technologies Across Industries

Life Sciences

Corning has been a trusted partner to the scientific community since 1915, with innovations like PYREX glass. Corning’s investments in bioprocess, cell therapy, 3D cell culture, and genomics research are helping scientists cure diseases and push the boundaries of discovery.

For the Middle East, Corning offers a comprehensive range of innovative, high-quality products and solutions for life science research and bioproduction through an extensive dealer network to serve the local customers.

Corning is advancing medical breakthroughs through technologies like Corning Valor® Glass, which protects drugs better than traditional glass packaging.

Trusted brands like Falcon, Axygen, and PYREX are found in over 100,000 laboratories worldwide.

Mobile Consumer Electronics

Corning Gorilla Glass has revolutionized smartphone durability since its debut in 2007, enabling damage-resistant, scratch-proof devices. Over 8 billion devices globally feature Gorilla Glass.

Innovations like Gorilla Glass DX/DX+ enhance mobile photography with improved light capture and reduced reflections.

In March 2025, Corning introducedCorning Gorilla Glass Ceramic, an innovative, transparent, and strengthenable glass ceramic material to help bring advanced toughness to more mobile devices. Gorilla Glass Ceramic significantly improves drop performance on rough surfaces compared to competitive aluminosilicate glasses.

Corning’s advanced optics are enabling immersive experiences in augmented reality and 3D sensing.

Corning Enlighten Glass is rewriting the rules for window technology

As a long-time innovator, Corning is always looking for synergies where our material science and process manufacturing expertise intersect with critical global macro trends such as high-performance buildings and sustainable construction. One of the latest areas where we are applying our glass science and manufacturing expertise is the architectural industry. 

As one of the largest glass markets in the world, the architectural glass space is a natural fit for Corning, and we believe innovation in the windows industry is an important issue to work on. Nearly 25% of global energy production is used to heat and cool buildings* (Source: Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2019  )

While windows represent around 10% of the total surface area for buildings, they represent nearly half of a home or business’s heat loss**(Reference from Referenced by Stephen Selkowitz at the NGA Glass Conference, Jan 24-26, 2023)

Corning has been working on a suite of solutions to improve thermal performance within the fenestration industry.

Corning Enlighten Glass is an enabling technology for high-performance windows and doors that can significantly enhance the thermal performance, comfort, and aesthetics of built environments. 

Enlighten Glass is a lightweight center pane that that can be integrated into high-performance window and door designs for insulated glazing units or in laminate applications.

Enlighten Glass’ benefits include increased energy efficiency and occupancy comfort with 2-3x thermal resistance; weight reduction by 20-50% in IGUs, making installation and operation easier; and a reduced carbon footprint by 20-40% compared to soda-lime glass alternatives  

Enlighten Glass has an inherently lower Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) than soda-lime glass due to its boro-aluminosilicate composition, which means that Enlighten Glass has lower thermal stress under temperature gradients, so it does not need to be heat strengthened. Heat strengthening is necessary with soda lime glass to prevent its inherently higher risk of thermal field failure with its high CTE.    

Enlighten Glass is formed through Corning’s proprietary fusion draw process which has become the industry’s most efficient method for producing pristine, thin, stable flat glass.