Zayo, a DigitalBridge Group (NYSE: DBRG) portfolio company specializing in fiber infrastructure, announced the completion of its Umatilla–Prineville–Reno (UPR) long-haul fiber route. This 622-mile corridor serves as a critical backbone for supporting and expanding artificial intelligence initiatives in the western U.S. Zayo highlights that the advancement of AI relies not only on laboratory innovation and data center development but also on robust physical interconnecting infrastructure.
The UPR route effectively connects emerging AI ecosystems across the West via Zayo’s advanced dark fiber networks. It provides a new direct inland path that connects major AI and cloud hubs, offers route diversity beyond the I-5 corridor, and brings carrier-level access to underserved areas in Oregon, California, and Nevada.
“We’re building the infrastructure that makes AI possible,” says Bill Long, Zayo Chief Product and Strategy Officer. “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.”
Constructed with Corning (NYSE: GLW) SMF-28 single mode fiber, multiple conduits, and 13 Zayo-owned In-Line Amplifiers or ILAs, the route is designed to deliver low latency and high fiber throughput capacity for AI and cloud computing applications. Upon completion, the UPR route will be integrated into Zayo’s existing West Coast long-haul and subsea network infrastructure, expanding connectivity throughout the western U.S. and enhancing the backbone that supports the region’s emerging AI corridor.
Zayo’s UPR route, partially funded by the NTIA Middle Mile Grant Program, supports the company’s ongoing commitment to improving infrastructure and increasing digital access throughout the U.S. Zayo previously revealed plans to construct 5,000 additional long-haul route-miles by 2030, Inside Towers reported.
By John Celentano, Inside Towers Business Editor