Apple is handing another $45 million to the company which makes Gorilla Glass for the iPhone. Announced Monday, Apple’s eight-figure award will help Corning “expand manufacturing” and “drive research and development” in the United States.
It’s part of Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, dedicated to supporting American businesses that are creating the jobs of the future. But, like the recent $410 million cash injection to the company that makes laser components for the iPhone, it also helps out Apple’s future plans.
This isn’t the first time Corning Incorporated has received a cash sum from Apple as part of the Advanced Manufacturing Fund. It was the recipient of $200 million soon after Apple announced the (then) $1 billion fund in 2017. To date Apple has given it a whopping $450 million — out of what is now a $5 billion fund.
Corning has worked with Apple for years
Corning has worked with Apple for more than a decade since the original iPhone. It makes Gorilla Glass for the company, referring to the ultra-tough glass used on the iPhone. It also provides glass for Apple Watch and iPad. Most recently, Corning helped Apple create Ceramic Shield, the tough material that offers up to 4x better drop resistance than previous iPhones. It debuted last year on the iPhone 12.
“Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, in a statement. “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.”
Source: Apple
