San Francisco, May 10 (IANS): Apple on Monday announced to award $45 million from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund to smartphone glass manufacturer Corning Incorporated to expand manufacturing capacity in the US and drive research and development into new technologies.

Corning is a supplier of precision glass for iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad and has a long history of working together with Apple.

The company has already received $450 million from Apple's $5 billion Advanced Manufacturing Fund over the last four years.

"From the very first iPhone glass, to the revolutionary Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 12 lineup, our collaboration has changed the landscape of smartphone cover design and durability," said Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer.

"Ceramic Shield is a prime example of the technologies that are possible when deep innovation meets the power of American manufacturing," he said in a statement.

Apple's investment helps support more than 1,000 jobs across Corning's US operations in Kentucky and other facilities in the US.

"We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Apple on Ceramic Shield, made possible in part through the Advanced Manufacturing Fund and the hard work and dedication of hundreds of individuals at Corning and Apple," said Wendell P. Weeks, Corning's chairman and chief executive officer.

Apple supports 2.7 million jobs across all 50 states and recently announced plans to add 20,000 jobs across the country while contributing more than $430 billion to the US economy over the next five years.