The growth prospects of the optical communication industry are promising! Both Citigroup and Oppenheimer are bullish on Corning Inc (GLW.US).

At the Optical Fiber Communication Conference (OFC) 2026 held this week, Corning Inc (GLW.US) showcased several new solutions for optimizing artificial intelligence (AI) data center networks, including multi-core optical fibers for increased density, miniature Optical Cable Corporations for data center interconnection, advanced connectors for faster deployment, and Common Package Optical (CPO) technology to support larger and more powerful AI systems. As a key player in the US stock market's optical communication sector, Corning Inc recently received bullish ratings from Wall Street analysts, citing the recent agreements with Meta (META.US), Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US), and Lumen Technologies (LUMN.US), highlighting the company's opportunities in the optical field and strong demand for its products. Citigroup analyst Asiya Merchant stated in an investor report, "The recent agreement between Corning Inc and Meta, as well as potential similar agreements with other hyperscale cloud providers in the future, reinforces our view that the value of each accelerator in terms of connectivity is about $500 to $1000. With the deployment of CPO technology, this value could further increase. We believe that the collaboration with Microsoft Corporation in hollow core fiber and the extended supply agreement with Lumen highlight Corning Inc's favorable position - the demand for its products remains very strong, as evidenced by customers' clear commitments and investments in Corning Inc's capacity expansion plans." Citigroup maintains a "buy" rating for Corning Inc and has set a target price of $170. This target price represents a nearly 31% upside from the stock's closing price of $129.86 on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has also reiterated its "outperform" rating for Corning Inc. Analyst Martin Yang stated in the report, "Corning Inc has positioned itself as a crucial infrastructure provider for generative AI data center construction through deep integration with ecosystem leaders such as NVIDIA Corporation, Broadcom Inc., Meta, and Microsoft Corporation. A key valuation driver is the transition towards CPO and scalable data center solutions, with the company management reaffirming that by 2030, this transition could potentially double or triple the current enterprise business scale."