Report: Apple has reached a preliminary deal with Intel to make chips in the U.S.
Summary created by Smart Answers AI
In summary:
- Macworld reports that Apple has reached a preliminary agreement with Intel to manufacture chips in the United States, aimed at diversifying suppliers beyond TSMC.
- Intel’s new “18A” process could potentially compete with TSMC’s advanced 2nm technology, with production details and chip types still unclear.
- This partnership could start with less advanced chips like the S series or networking components rather than cutting-edge processors for iPhone and Mac.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple and Intel have reached a preliminary agreement to manufacture certain Apple chips. The WSJ and Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Apple was in talks with Intel and Samsung to diversify its advanced chip suppliers, which are currently almost entirely owned by TSMC.
It now appears that a deal is in place, at least in principle. Intel has been a leading chipmaker for decades, but only for chips of its own design. More recently, Intel’s manufacturing prowess has lagged behind the state of the art, with TSMC being the go-to company for making the world’s most advanced chips. Its cutting-edge processes are used by Apple, AMD, Nvidia and others.
Intel’s new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, has promised to revitalize Intel’s chip foundry business until its manufacturing processes are no longer second best, while opening the company’s chipmaking to making other companies’ products. It’s not clear which chips would be first to be used by Intel’s factories.
It’s unclear exactly which chips Intel would make for Apple, or when production would begin. Intel’s most advanced new production process, called “18A” (for “18 angstrom”), is generally considered a competitor to TSMC’s most advanced 2nm process (18 angstroms equal to 1.8 nanometers). At the major Computex conference next month, Intel will showcase its Nova Lake desktop processors, Panther Lake mobile/handheld chips, and Clearwater Forest server processors, all made using the 18A process.
If this process is as efficient as it seems, Apple could theoretically produce its latest M and A series chips with Intel. However, chip designs are largely fab-specific, and it’s not trivial to simply take an existing design and have it made with another company’s proprietary foundry process. It seems more likely that Apple would start by making chips that are a little later, such as the S-series chips for Apple Watch or the company’s N- or C-series networking chips.
