Zayo has announced the completion of its Umatilla–Prineville–Reno (UPR) long-haul fiber route, a 622-mile network corridor that links key data, compute, and cloud environments in the western US. The company claims this new route creates a direct inland fiber path between Oregon and Nevada, delivering infrastructure designed to support artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud workloads at scale.

The UPR route employs SMF-28 fiber, multiple conduits, and 13 Zayo-owned in-line amplifiers (ILAs) to achieve low latency and high fiber count. Zayo reports the route offers a resilient and diverse alternative to the I-5 corridor, providing connectivity to both major AI and cloud hubs as well as previously underserved communities in Oregon, California, and Nevada. The company notes the infrastructure is fully owned and operated, ensuring carrier-grade access along the entire corridor.

The UPR route integrates with Zayo’s existing West Coast long-haul and subsea networks, extending connectivity across the region and enhancing network resilience for data centers, hyperscale operators, and cloud service providers. Zayo says that with more than 19.5 million fiber miles and 1,700 on-net data centers, it is established as a major provider for hyperscalers and next-generation cloud players.

Funding for the UPR route was provided in part by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Middle Mile Grant Program. Zayo recently outlined plans to build 5,000 additional long-haul route miles by 2030 to address anticipated bandwidth challenges and continue expanding connectivity to high-performance compute centers.

“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,” said Bill Long, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Zayo. “We’re delivering the capacity and reach where it’s needed to ensure AI can work, scale, and innovate without limits.”

Source: Zayo