Apple has announced a $2.5 billion investment to manufacture 100% of iPhone and Apple Watch cover glass in Corning’s facility located in Harrodsburg, Kentucky. This move marks the first time all such glass components will be made in the U.S., part of Apple’s broader $600 billion plan to boost American manufacturing over the next four years.
The Harrodsburg facility, already central to Apple’s glass production since the first iPhone, will now be solely dedicated to Apple. Corning will use the funds to build the world’s largest and most advanced smartphone glass production line. The expansion will boost local employment by 50% and introduce a new Apple-Corning Innovation Center focused on future materials and manufacturing technologies.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said that every iPhone or Apple Watch customer will now hold a piece of American made precision glass. He thanked the administration for its support of American manufacturing. Corning CEO Wendell Weeks added that Harrodsburg has been at the heart of innovation since the very beginning producing the glass for the original iPhone 18 years ago.
Apple’s new manufacturing plans fall under its American Manufacturing Program (AMP). This initiative aims to increase domestic production of key components and encourage global partners to shift supply chains into the U.S.
Since the launch of the AMP and Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund in 2017, Apple has invested nearly $500 million in Corning’s operations in Kentucky. Corning’s Ceramic Shield used in current iPhones is one of the main products made at Harrodsburg. It’s known as the toughest smartphone glass on the market and is a direct result of this Apple Corning collaboration.
Corning will not only handle glass but also supply materials used by GlobalWafers, another AMP partner, to support the production of silicon chips inside the U.S. This widens Corning’s role in Apple’s broader supply chain, extending beyond glass to chipmaking components.
Apple already supports over 450,000 jobs through its suppliers across all 50 U.S. states. Over the next four years, it plans to hire 20,000 new employees directly, especially in areas like R&D, chip design, AI, and software development.
This announcement reinforces Apple’s continued focus on domestic innovation, supply chain resilience, and high-tech job creation with Harrodsburg, Kentucky, now set to become the global hub for Apple’s iPhone and Watch cover glass.
