3M and AWS Partner to Advance Optical Connectivity Technology
News related to:3M Company · 2 min read
SAINT PAUL, Minn., Oct. 21, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- 3M and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have announced a significant collaboration aimed at advancing optical connectivity technology. AWS will deploy and scale 3M’s Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) platform in its data center infrastructure. This strategic partnership is expected to drive innovation and investment in optical connectivity, a critical component for next-generation super intelligence, also known as artificial intelligence (AI).
Wendy Bauer, Group President of 3M’s Transportation and Electronics Business Group, highlighted the potential of the EBO technology.
Jens Gruenkemeir, Vice President of Supply Chain & Procurement at Amazon, emphasized the importance of the collaboration.
The collaboration is expected to have a significant economic impact, supporting more than 500 jobs directly and indirectly. By 2027, it is anticipated that the partnership will create over 100 new roles. These positions will focus on customer co-innovation, technology advancement, and supply chain development across 3M's optical networking portfolio. The investment is also expected to contribute nearly $0.5 billion to the U.S. economy through 3M's optical connectivity business.
The collaboration builds on 3M's recent announcement that it will double production capacity at its Menomonie, Wisconsin, manufacturing facility. This expansion is expected to support U.S. manufacturing partners involved in equipment and production scale-up throughout the supply chain. The partnership is expected to strengthen the U.S. economy by supporting more than 500 jobs directly and indirectly, including the creation of more than 100 new roles through 2027 across Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin. These planned roles will support customer co-innovation, technology advancement, and supply chain development across 3M's optical networking portfolio and help accelerate industrywide adoption through collaboration with partners.
Forward-looking statements in the release are subject to risks and uncertainties, including those described in Part I, Item 1A, "Risk Factors" of 3M's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
This strategic partnership underscores the commitment of both companies to innovation and economic growth in the United States. The collaboration is expected to accelerate the deployment of EBO technology, enhance data center infrastructure, and drive the adoption of advanced optical connectivity solutions across the industry.