The Top CEOs of 2026. Plus, Corning's Wendell Weeks Talks A.I. and Glass. | Barron's Streetwise

Wendell Weeks, Chairman and CEO of Corning, discussed the company's role in AI-driven data centers, emphasizing that generative AI's neural network of 150,000 GPUs cannot be supported by copper, making fiber optics superior in cost, power, and latency. He described Corning's reinvention starting in 2018, redesigning fiber, cable, and connectivity to fit four times more fiber in the same space, and reimagining supply chains for hyperscalers. Weeks highlighted Corning's R&D investment at twice the level of peers and a risk-sharing model where customers commit to volume in exchange for low-cost, high-performance products. He also spoke about glass's unique properties, liquid at the atomic level but solid mechanically, and its potential for extreme transparency, citing an example of seeing the bottom of the Indian Ocean if filled with glass. Weeks reflected on his 40-year career with the material and collaboration with visionary colleagues.

Key takeaways

1. Generative AI's 150,000-GPU neural network requires fiber optics over copper for cost, power, and latency.
2. Corning reinvented fiber, cable, and connectivity starting in 2018 to fit four times more fiber in the same space.
3. Corning invests twice as much in R&D as peers and shares risk with customers through volume commitments.
4. Glass is liquid at the atomic level but solid mechanically, enabling extreme transparency and formability.
5. Weeks has spent 40 years working on glass with colleagues who believe they can change the world.

Numbers and commitments

Chapters

1. 0:00Fiber over copper for AI
2. 23:08Corning's 2018 reinvention
3. 25:31R&D and risk sharing
4. 26:56Glass properties and potential