Zayo Group has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to significantly scale network infrastructure connecting artificial intelligence facilities across North America. The initiative centres on deploying new fibre capacity along critical corridors that link AI factories, data centres, and cloud campuses, representing a substantial push in AI network expansion designed to meet surging demand for high-bandwidth connectivity.
The collaboration was unveiled at NVIDIA’s AI Summit in San Jose, where Zayo confirmed it would leverage NVIDIA’s networking technologies alongside its own extensive fibre footprint to build out dedicated AI transport corridors. The effort responds to a rapidly growing need for network pathways capable of handling the enormous data flows generated by AI training and inference workloads.
Why New Fibre Corridors Are Essential for AI Infrastructure
The rise of large-scale AI factories has created unprecedented demand for network capacity between compute facilities. Traditional internet and enterprise traffic patterns are being reshaped by AI workloads, which require ultra-low-latency, high-throughput connections between clusters of graphics processing units spread across multiple sites. This AI network expansion addresses a bottleneck that threatens to constrain the buildout of AI infrastructure if connectivity does not keep pace with compute deployment.
Zayo operates one of the largest independently owned fibre networks in North America, spanning more than 141,000 route miles. The company said it is now directing significant capital toward expanding capacity on routes that serve the highest concentrations of AI data centres. These corridors connect key markets where hyperscale operators, cloud providers, and AI developers are clustering their facilities.
Dan Caruso, chief executive of Zayo, said the partnership with NVIDIA reflects the reality that networking is becoming as critical as compute in the AI supply chain. He noted that Zayo’s fibre assets position the company to deliver the physical infrastructure layer that AI factories depend upon, and that the collaboration will accelerate the pace at which new capacity reaches the market.
Technical Details of the Fibre Expansion
Under the initiative, Zayo plans to deploy additional dark fibre pairs and lit services across high-demand AI corridors. The company will integrate NVIDIA’s networking technology stack to optimise data transport between AI facilities. This includes support for back-end AI cluster networking, where massive volumes of data must move between GPUs during model training.
The AI network expansion also encompasses upgrades to existing fibre routes, increasing the density of available fibre strands on pathways that connect established data centre campuses. Zayo confirmed that the buildout would span multiple phases, with initial deployments targeting corridors in the western and central United States where AI facility construction is most concentrated.
Kevin Deierling, senior vice president at NVIDIA, said that scaling AI infrastructure requires a network fabric that extends beyond the walls of individual data centres. He described the collaboration with Zayo as an important step in ensuring that connectivity keeps pace with the rapid expansion of AI compute capacity across the continent.
The initiative also aligns with broader industry trends. Demand for fibre connectivity between data centres has accelerated sharply as enterprises and hyperscalers invest heavily in AI capabilities. Network operators across North America are racing to secure and light new fibre routes, making AI network expansion one of the most active segments of telecommunications infrastructure investment.
Next Steps in the Rollout
Zayo said the first phase of new fibre deployments under the collaboration is expected to commence in the second half of 2025, with additional corridors to follow through 2026. The company indicated it would announce specific route details and capacity milestones as construction progresses.
The partnership positions both companies to address what industry observers regard as a critical constraint on AI growth. As compute power continues to scale inside AI factories, the connecting network must evolve in parallel. This AI network expansion effort represents a direct response to that challenge, with Zayo committing substantial fibre resources and NVIDIA contributing its networking expertise to ensure the infrastructure is fit for purpose.
Further updates on corridor-level deployments and technical specifications are expected in the coming quarters as Zayo advances its buildout programme alongside NVIDIA.