Apple has once again made a significant investment in Corning Inc. The Corning, NY-based company is the maker of Gorilla Glass, the scratch-resistant glass used in iPhones and iPads. According to Apple, the investment is intended to "expand Corning's manufacturing capabilities in the U.S. and drive research and development of innovative new technologies that support durability and longer product life."

The timing of this announcement curiously coincides with the abundance of rumors surrounding the possibility of a folding iPhone, which is expected to arrive in 2023. This investment adds to Apple's previous contributions of $200 million in 2017 and $250 million in 2019. Overall, the tech giant has invested nearly $500 million in Corning over the past four years.

According to Apple COO Jeff Williams, "Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to make the impossible possible."

That's right, Apple and Corning have a long history of cooperation, dating back to the first iPhone. Since then, Corning has supplied glass for a wide range of Apple devices, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch lineups.

In fact, one of the latest hits of this decades-long collaboration is the implementation of Ceramic Shield Technology in Apple's iPhone 12 lineup. According to Apple, this technology makes the new iPhone 12's glass "tougher than any smartphone glass" and is said to be four times more resistant and durable to damage from accidental drops.

However, Apple is not the only company working with the company on glass production. Corning's Gorilla Glass is currently used in smartphones from competitors, including Samsung's Galaxy S21 series. Gorilla Glass can also be found in other flagship devices, such as the Razer Kiyo Pro webcam.

There is no specific information on how Corning intends to spend its $45 million investment, but speculation surrounding the possible launch of a foldable iPhone suggests that the investment may be part of a larger project.

In an interview with Wired in 2019, Corning general manager John Bain revealed that the company is currently working on thin bendable glass. And a month before that, Apple also signed a patent application indicating that it plans to investigate a foldable one.

Just last February, Corning revealed that it expects devices with foldable glass technology to be available within about 12 to 18 months.

If Corning succeeds in doing so, its new foldable glass technology could help create a new generation of foldable smartphones that do not require a plastic protective layer,