Apple and Intel have reportedly reached a preliminary agreement that could see the latter manufacture some of the chips used in the former‘s future devices. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), discussions between the two companies have been ongoing for more than a year before eventually resulting in a formal arrangement in recent months.
While neither company has officially commented on the matter, the move is said to be part of Apple’s effort to diversify its chip manufacturing strategy. For years, the company has relied almost entirely on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce its custom silicon, including the A-series and M-series chips powering iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers.
However, demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing has surged in recent years, largely driven by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC). Companies such as Nvidia and AMD are also competing for TSMC’s most advanced production capacity, placing additional pressure on supply availability.
According to the report, Apple could initially use Intel’s foundries to manufacture chips for products such as MacBooks and iPads before potentially expanding the partnership to iPhone chips in the future. Some reports have also suggested that Intel may eventually be involved in producing chips for the next-generation MacBook Neo lineup, although details remain unclear at this stage.
The reported collaboration would mark a notable reunion between the two companies. Apple previously used Intel processors across its Mac lineup for years before transitioning to its in-house Apple Silicon chips beginning in 2020. This time around, however, Intel’s role would reportedly focus on manufacturing rather than processor design.
On a related note, a separate report by Bloomberg is suggesting that Apple is also reportedly considering the latter as another potential manufacturing partner for future chips. This could potentially allow the company to reduce dependence on a single foundry partner while securing additional production capacity for mainstream and entry-level devices.
(Source: WSJ)
