Zayo has confirmed the completion of its Umatilla-Prineville-Reno (UPR) long-haul fiber route, finalizing a 622-mile network corridor designed to reshape connectivity for AI development across the western U.S. The company positioned this newly built route as a core element of how next-generation AI systems will scale, noting that the future of AI depends not only on advancements in labs and data centers but equally on the physical fiber networks carrying the associated workloads. By linking emerging AI hubs through its dark fiber infrastructure, Zayo says the UPR route delivers the performance characteristics required for demanding AI and cloud operations.
The company released an updated map highlighting the full Umatilla-Prineville-Reno (UPR) path, underscoring its importance as a purpose-built route within Zayo’s broader strategy for reinforcing U.S. AI infrastructure. Fully owned and operated by Zayo, the UPR line creates the region’s first direct inland connection between two rapidly expanding AI and cloud centers. It also provides an alternative to the I-5 corridor, adding resilience and diversification while extending carrier-grade links into unserved and underserved areas of Oregon, California, and Nevada.
“While others plan, we’re building the infrastructure that makes AI possible,” said Bill Long, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Zayo. “Without connectivity, data centers and AI factories are just expensive refrigerators: cold boxes of compute with no way for data to get in or out. We’re delivering the capacity and reach where it’s needed to ensure AI can work, scale, and innovate without limits.”
Engineered with SMF-28 fiber, multiple conduits, and 13 Zayo-owned ILAs, the UPR corridor is built to support low-latency requirements and high fiber counts essential for AI and cloud environments. With construction complete, this route is now integrated into Zayo’s broader West Coast long-haul and subsea systems, enlarging the company’s reach and reinforcing the infrastructure foundation for the region’s expanding AI ecosystem.
The project received partial funding from the NTIA Middle Mile Grant Program and aligns with Zayo’s wider efforts to reduce infrastructure gaps nationwide. Earlier in the year, the company outlined plans to build 5,000 additional long-haul miles by 2030 to alleviate bandwidth bottlenecks, a target consistent with its long-term vision for nationwide connectivity growth.
Zayo notes that it already operates more than 19.5 million fiber miles and maintains 1,700 on-net data centers across its network. These assets position the company as a primary infrastructure partner for hyperscalers, neoclouds, and data centers supporting some of the world’s most advanced digital ecosystems.