3M announces capacity investment for Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) production

Expansion will more than double capacity; add critical equipment to meet growing AI data center demand

ST. PAUL, Minn., March 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 3M (NYSE: MMM) today announced a major planned expansion of U.S. manufacturing capacity for its 3M™ Expanded Beam Optical (EBO) interconnect technology, a high-performance optical connectivity solution engineered to improve deployment speed, reliability, and operational efficiency within next-generation AI data centers. The expansion will include adding new advanced manufacturing equipment and additional production space to support increasing global demand for high-speed interconnects in AI data centers.

"Key customers understand the benefits of our EBO technology, and with infrastructure scaling at an unprecedented pace, data center customers need optical connectivity solutions that can deploy quickly and operate reliably at massive scale," said Alex An, vice president, Data Center Vertical Business for 3M. "By expanding our manufacturing capacity for 3M Expanded Beam Optical technology, 3M is helping to ensure our customers have the high-performance interconnect solutions they need to build and scale the AI data centers that are powering the digital economy."

The capacity expansion reflects accelerating adoption of optical interconnect technologies designed for high-density computing environments. As AI clusters grow and data center architectures evolve to support faster data movement and higher bandwidth demands, expanded beam optical technology helps improve connection reliability while reducing maintenance complexity in large-scale deployments.

This investment will also strengthen 3M's ability to support customers across the data center ecosystem—including hyperscalers, optical network equipment providers, and cable assembly partners—while expanding our production capacity. 3M EBO is in mass production and has been commercially available since late 2024.

3M Expanded Beam Optical solutions leverage the company's material science expertise to enable durable, dust-resistant optical connections designed for high-density computing environments. The technology is part of 3M's broader portfolio of data center solutions that help address high-speed connectivity, rack and power, and advanced materials challenges associated with next-generation AI infrastructure. 

Meet us at OFC in Los Angeles at booth #5233 to see the latest in 3M Expanded Beam Optical technology.

About 3M 
3M (NYSE: MMM) is focused on transforming industries around the world by applying science and creating innovative, customer-focused solutions. Our multi-disciplinary team is working to solve tough customer problems by leveraging diverse technology platforms, differentiated capabilities, global footprint, and operational excellence. Discover how 3M is shaping the future at 3M.com/news. 

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SOURCE 3M Company