In Sept, 2025, Microsoft Azure announced it is scaling its hollow core fiber (HCF) production by outsourcing manufacturing to Corning and Heraeus. It made clear that the tech giant is taking its commitment seriously, despite being deep in the AI waters — or especially. Attenuation achieved by the best HCFs was reduced to 0. Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) has been reduced to a level typical of SMFs, through fiber spinning. The tech giant struck agreements with Corning and Heraeus Covantics to ramp its global HCF deployments. The findings, published on September 1 in the prestigious international journal Nature Photonics, mark a.