3M and AWS Expand Partnership for AI Infrastructure

3M and Amazon Web Services have expanded their strategic collaboration to integrate 3M's Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) platform into AWS data center infrastructure. The partnership focuses on advancing the optical connectivity required for next-generation artificial intelligence, which the companies describe as super intelligence (SI).

To support this deployment, 3M is investing nearly $0.5 billion into its optical connectivity business. This investment includes doubling production capacity at a manufacturing facility in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The expansion is expected to support over 500 direct and indirect jobs, with more than 100 new roles created by 2027 across Minnesota, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Wendy Bauer, Group President of 3M's Transportation and Electronics Business Group, stated that the adoption of the EBO platform demonstrates the technology's ability to meet the performance demands of next-generation data centers. Amazon Vice President of Supply Chain and Procurement Jens Gruenkemeir noted that the work reinforces a commitment to supporting jobs within the United States.