As AI demand grows, FiberLight is focusing on fiber expansion, edge access and strategic acquisitions
As hyperscalers demand faster, denser and more direct fiber routes, FiberLight is positioning itself as a critical partner — not just a provider — in the race to support AI infrastructure at scale. Following the company’s $500 million refinancing and the acquisition of Metro Fiber Networks (MFN), CEO Bill Major outlined FiberLight’s expansion strategy, emphasizing the urgency of delivering low-latency fiber for an AI-driven future.
A ’25-year-old startup’ finds its stride
In April 2025, FiberLight announced a $20 million investment to expand its network, with a focus on supporting AI workloads and autonomous systems. That investment, Major said, is part of a broader strategy to transform the company into a scalable, national player. “It’s a 25-year-old startup,” he said, describing the operational overhaul that followed Morrison’s 2023 acquisition of FiberLight. The company has spent the last two years modernizing internal systems and preparing for aggressive growth.
A major step in that growth: the acquisition of MFN, a fully underground duct and cable system stretching from Richmond to Northern Virginia. The deal gives FiberLight a ready-built path into one of the world’s densest data center markets. Major claimed that 70% of all the oceanic or transatlantic communications hit Virginia Beach.
“This is an asset to accelerate that expansion for all the data centers that the hyperscalers are building,” he said. “If we were to go build that asset, the… permit to get the York River crossing or the Bay crossing would take approximately two years.” With the MFN purchase, however, Fiberlight now has “immediate demand” in the region.
Supporting hyperscalers at the edge
Demand from hyperscalers is shaping how and where FiberLight builds. According to Major, the model for connectivity is evolving: “Ten years ago, when a hyperscaler was deploying, they were looking for a single route. Then it was dual routes. Now they’re looking for three and four additional routes,” he said.
That shift is influencing the company’s regional expansions. In the Texas Panhandle, for example, FiberLight recently completed a 500-mile build to support an edge data center deployment in partnership with Region 16. “The edge has been talked about… for a long, long time, but I do see it now materializing,” he said.
Texas is the data center epicenter
While AI data center growth faces increasing power and land constraints in traditional tech corridors, Texas is emerging as a destination for new infrastructure — and FiberLight is leaning in with the relocation of its headquarters from Atlanta to Plano. “That’s a big move,” said Major. “And I think a pretty clear indicator of how valuable that part of the country is going to be.”
The state’s combination of available land, affordable power and open water access makes it attractive for hyperscalers and infrastructure providers alike. One Dallas-area hotspot, Red Oak, is already being referred to as a “mini-Ashburn” due to the volume of new data center projects. (Ashburn has long been considered the data center capital of the world.) Demand is also growing in areas like Midland and Odessa, where real estate developers and even former bitcoin mining facilities are being converted to meet AI infrastructure needs.
Even as power challenges make headlines across the U.S., Major says rural Texas remains well-positioned to handle demand — at least for now.
Future consolidation
As fiber and infrastructure providers across the country pursue M&A activity, FiberLight is actively bidding to expand its reach. With three acquisition targets in play, the company sees opportunity to scale as regional consolidation accelerates. “My goal is to be the acquirer, not the acquired,” he said. “There’s plenty of news coming your way, I promise.”
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