Apple has agreed to build chips with Intel, President Trump confirmed, adding the iPhone maker to a growing list of technology companies pledging to manufacture in the United States.
According to Yahoo Finance Singapore, Trump's confirmation came after similar commitments tied to Nvidia and Tesla, part of a broader push to expand American chip manufacturing. The president framed the announcements around how rarely such domestic commitments have happened, reportedly asking "When was the last time..."
The deal appears to be reshaping Intel's strategy. According to Tekedia, Intel has tapped semiconductor veteran Seok-Hee Lee to lead an advanced packaging push, with the report stating that the Apple deal is fueling the company's foundry ambitions. Advanced packaging refers to the techniques used to combine and connect chips into finished, high-performance products — an increasingly important step in modern semiconductor production.
The news arrives as Intel works to convince investors it has turned a corner. On CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Cramer highlighted how Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan has addressed the company's foundry issues, according to a Yahoo Finance report. Cramer advised investors to focus on where a stock is going rather than where it has been.
A foundry is a facility that manufactures chips, often designed by other companies. For years Intel struggled to compete as a contract chipmaker against overseas rivals, so winning a customer of Apple's scale would mark a notable shift.
The sources confirm the commitment and the leadership move but do not detail timelines, dollar figures, chip volumes, or which Apple products would use Intel-made components.
Why it matters: If a company as large and demanding as Apple commits to Intel's US chipmaking, it could signal that American semiconductor manufacturing is becoming a viable alternative to relying on overseas production — a stated goal of the current administration.