Apple Awards iPhone Glass Supplier Corning Additional $45M From Advanced Manufacturing Fund

Apple today announced it is awarding its longtime iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch glass supplier Corning an additional $45 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, building on its $200 million award in 2017 and $250 million award in 2019.

Apple awards Corning an additional 45 million dollars team member 051021
The combined $495 million investment will support Corning's ongoing research and development into "state-of-the-art glass processes, which led to the creation of Ceramic Shield, a new material that is tougher than any smartphone glass."

Apple COO Jeff Williams:

"Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. "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."

With support from Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund, experts at both companies worked together to develop a new glass-ceramic, which gets its strength from nano-ceramic crystals, produced in Corning’s plant in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, the facility where every generation of ‌iPhone‌ glass has been made.

The new material was enabled by a high-temperature crystallization step which forms nano-crystals within the glass matrix. Those specialized crystals are kept small enough that the material is transparent. The resulting material makes up the revolutionary Ceramic Shield, which Apple used to fashion the new front cover featured on iPhone in the iPhone 12 lineup. Prior to Ceramic Shield, embedded crystals have traditionally affected the material's transparency, a crucial factor for the front cover of iPhone because so many features, including the display, the camera, and sensors for Face ID, need optical clarity to function.

Established in 2017, Apple's Advanced Manufacturing Fund was designed to "foster and support the innovative production and high-skill jobs that will help fuel a new era of technology-driven manufacturing" in the United States, according to Apple.

Awards from the $5 billion fund have led to breakthrough innovations, from supporting the development of advanced laser technology in Texas, to accelerating the supply of Covid-19 sample collection kits for US hospitals, and more.

Top Rated Comments

ilikewhey Avatar
31 months ago
this is good, the more jobs we can keep on the state side and the less outsourcing the better, if only we have a reliable finfet foundry so apple doesn't have to rely on foreign foundries for their most crucial components
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
matrix07 Avatar
31 months ago
A week ago I just dropped my iPhone X (and not only dropped. I hit a mosquito on my hand that holding the phone and my phone flied across me and landed face down on stone pathway with a “bang” sound). My heart stopped. Thought screen would be shattered. Luckily apart from a few scratches on stainless steel rim everything is fine ?.
Needless to say my trust in this company is immense.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iBluetooth Avatar
31 months ago

I remember when 11 came out and it was touted as the best yet

yet having never dropped my phone or had it near keys/coins it developed scratches, how is this possible from just taking it out of pockets?


Can anyone confirm that Ceramic Shield is really different and doesn’t scratch from clothes fibres?
There can be small grains of sand in your pockets, just by inserting things there before. When you move around, the phone is moving slightly also in the pocket and can rub agains a grain of sand or other hard surfaces.
But why are you bothered from a device showing usage. Do you expect your car to be scratch-free even if you didn't have any accidents. I think the scratches show much you use the phone and just embrace them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NoSoup4U Avatar
31 months ago
Is it too late to get the formula for transparent Aluminum from Scotty?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Serban55 Avatar
31 months ago
good for them
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Digital Dude Avatar
31 months ago

A week ago I just dropped my iPhone X (and not only dropped. I hit a mosquito on my hand that holding the phone and my phone flied across me and landed face down on stone pathway with a “bang” sound). My heart stopped. Thought screen would be shattered. Luckily apart from a few scratches on stainless steel rim everything is fine ?.
Needless to say my trust in this company is immense.
Reminds me of this ('//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PochL9uL-Y').
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...
BMW Logo iPhone 15 Pro

Warning: BMW Wireless Charging May Break iPhone 15's Apple Pay Chip

Sunday October 1, 2023 6:14 am PDT by
If you have an iPhone 15 and drive a BMW, it might be best to avoid charging the device with the vehicle's wireless charging pad for now. Over the past week, some BMW owners have complained that their iPhone 15's NFC chip no longer works after charging the device with their vehicle's wireless charging pad, according to comments shared on the MacRumors Forums and X, formerly known as Twitter. ...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Details: Action Button, USB-C Port, Face ID, and More

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:34 pm PDT by
Significant changes are expected to arrive with Apple's fourth-generation iPhone SE, in terms of both design and hardware, MacRumors has learned. The iPhone SE 4, known internally under the codename Ghost, is expected to receive a new design derived almost entirely from the base model iPhone 14. According to our sources, the iPhone SE 4 will use a modified version of the iPhone 14 chassis...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 and 16 Pro: Preliminary Weights and Dimensions

Friday September 29, 2023 12:34 pm PDT by
MacRumors has obtained preliminary information on the weights and dimensions planned for the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. The information corroborates previous reports suggesting that the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max will feature larger displays. iPhone 16 and 16 Plus Current information suggests that the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will maintain the same...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 1

Wednesday September 27, 2023 1:57 pm PDT by
Just a week after releasing iOS 17, Apple has seeded the first beta of iOS 17.1 to developers. iOS 17.1 adds some features that Apple promised were coming to iOS 17 in the future, plus it refines and improves some existing features. This guide covers everything new in the first iOS 17.1 beta. Apple Music Favorites You can favorite songs, albums, playlists, and artists in the iOS 17.1...
CarPlay SharePlay

CarPlay Not Working for Some iPhone 15 Users, Possibly Because of USB-C Cables

Friday September 29, 2023 2:27 pm PDT by
CarPlay is not working as expected for some iPhone 15 users, an issue that is likely linked to the transition to USB-C. There are multiple complaints from MacRumors readers and Reddit users who are unable to get CarPlay to work with their new devices. Cable type and available port options are a common theme in the CarPlay reports, with many of the functionality problems linked to USB-A to...