Apple Inks Preliminary Deal With Intel for Future Chip Manufacturing

In a massive shift for the global semiconductor landscape, Apple and Intel have reportedly reached a preliminary agreement that will see Intel manufacturing chips for future Apple devices. According to a breaking report from The Wall Street Journal, the two tech giants hammered out a formal deal in recent months following over a year of intensive negotiations.

Diversifying Away from TSMC

Currently, Apple relies almost entirely on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce its cutting-edge M-series and A-series processors. However, growing supply pressures from the AI hardware boom and geopolitical concerns have forced Apple to explore backup foundries. While the WSJ report notes that it is currently unclear exactly which devices Intel will be manufacturing chips for, prominent industry analysts have previously weighed in on the timeline.

Early reports previously noted that Apple and Intel were exploring a partnership where Intel could begin producing lower-end M-class chips for Macs and iPads as early as 2027, utilizing its upcoming manufacturing nodes. Analyst Jeff Pu later added that the partnership could eventually expand to include A-series iPhone chips by 2028.

The Government Push

This massive partnership wasn’t just a purely corporate decision; the U.S. government reportedly played a heavy hand in making it happen. The Trump administration, which recently converted nearly $9 billion in federal grants into a 10% government stake in Intel, has been aggressively pushing for domestic tech giants to utilize Intel’s foundries to secure American supply chains.

According to the WSJ, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick held repeated meetings over the past year with Apple CEO Tim Cook to advocate for the partnership. With Intel’s foundry business working hard to revitalize itself under new leadership, landing Apple as a client, alongside recent manufacturing deals with SpaceX and Nvidia, gives the company a massive lifeline and a critical vote of confidence.

Neither Apple nor Intel has officially commented on the preliminary agreement yet, but we expect to hear more concrete details as we approach Apple’s 2027 hardware cycle.