Revenue Capacity & Investments
Q: Where are the biggest opportunities for growth given $3B extra capacity?
A: Corning has capacity to support well over $3 billion in additional sales without significant capital investment. Future growth opportunities depend on where sales come from, but they feel confident they can support growth above $3 billion with existing capacity.

Yen Hedging & Display Profits
Q: How will yen hedging affect display business profitability?
A: Corning is committed to maintaining appropriate returns in the display business, using a combination of yen hedging and price increases to offset currency impacts. They have made progress on hedging and will opportunistically build their 2025 hedge portfolio. It's too early to discuss core rates for 2025, but they aim to deliver similar economics regardless of yen fluctuations.

Gross Margins & Operating Leverage
Q: How should we think about gross margin cadence going forward?
A: Gross margins have expanded by 300 basis points despite sales declining by almost $400 million, due to improved productivity and price increases. With a current baseline of 37%, Corning expects gross margins to increase as sales recover, leveraging existing capacity and keeping operating expenses relatively flat.

Data Center AI Opportunities
Q: When will AI-related data center revenues impact financials?
A: Corning expects to see momentum in revenue growth from AI data centers starting in the back half of this year, assuming current orders ship as planned. The shift to GPU racks increases fiber demand per rack by 8 times, driving demand for Corning's innovative solutions.

Optical Comms & 5G Impact
Q: How does 5G's performance affect Corning's telco business?
A: The transition to 5G requires more infrastructure, combining wireline and wireless networks, which offers cost savings and new revenue opportunities for telcos. However, given muted deployment outlooks and inventory normalization, Corning anticipates a relatively modest increase in fiber deployments this year.

Display Cycle & Outlook
Q: Is the display market cycle changing in duration or volatility?
A: Shifts in panel manufacturing to China are altering industry dynamics. Panel makers now reduce utilization to match set makers' orders, potentially smoothing out traditional inventory-driven cycles. It's early to tell if this change is long-term, but it could lead to a healthier industry with less volatility.

Inventory Levels & OpEx
Q: Why were inventory and OpEx higher this quarter?
A: Inventory rose due to low sales volumes, but Corning expects to reduce inventory and improve cash flow as volumes increase. Operating expenses were higher because variable compensation returned to normal levels after being lower in 2023 due to not meeting targets. They aim to keep OpEx relatively flat, creating leverage as sales grow.

Specialty Materials Outlook
Q: What's driving Specialty Materials' performance and outlook?
A: Specialty Materials performed as expected, and growth will come from adding more Corning content. Smartphone units are expected to be up only 1–2% this year, so significant growth depends on Corning's innovation and content additions, which are anticipated for future model years.

BEAD Timing & Optical Business
Q: What's the outlook on BEAD funding's impact on optical business?
A: Corning expects BEAD funding allocation this year but anticipates spending to start next year due to governmental processes. They remain conservative but supportive, acknowledging the requirement for U.S. content and the potential positive impact on their optical business.

China Subsidies & TV Demand
Q: Could China’s appliance subsidies boost TV demand and glass volume?
A: It’s too early to predict the impact of China’s new subsidy programs on TV demand. Corning is still analyzing how these subsidies will affect consumers but had previously expected muted retail demand in China this year.

Data Center Locations & Energy
Q: Is there an opportunity with data centers seeking new energy sources?
A: Yes, Corning sees an interesting opportunity as data centers seek locations with spare energy capacity. Their global footprint allows them to respond to these developments, potentially leading to innovation and volume growth. However, it's too early to factor this into projections as infrastructure and energy sourcing are still being resolved.

Hedging Program Cost
Q: Is the hedging program cost minimal to shareholders?
A: Yes, the cost of hedging is minimal, and Corning includes any hedging costs in their profitability calculations. They are long yen and have generated approximately $2.5 billion in cash from hedging over time. They aim to manage currency volatility through hedging and price adjustments.

Margin Targets
Q: Can Corning reach 40% gross margins with the $3B sales growth?
A: Despite absorbing significant inflation and raising prices, which reduced margin percentages, Corning believes they can reach a 40% gross margin as sales increase. Adjusted for these factors, 38% is considered the new 40% in old terms, and they are confident in achieving this target.