Apple Said to Be in Talks With Intel and Samsung to Produce Its Chips in the US

Apple is looking for more chip manufacturers to reduce reliance on its long-standing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to a report. The Cupertino-based tech giant is said to be in the early stages of exploring alternatives for the chipmaker. The report suggests that the Tim Cook-led tech giant is in talks with Intel to manufacture chips for the company. Meanwhile, the executives of the company have reportedly also visited Samsung's under-construction facility in the US for the same. This is said to allow Apple to bring chip manufacturing back to the US for its future iPhone and iPad models.

Future Apple Chips Could Come From Samsung, Intel

Citing people with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg reports that Apple has held “exploratory discussions” with multiple tech firms to manufacture the “main processors” for its devices within the US borders. While Apple designs its own SoCs, it relies on TSMC's facilities overseas to manufacture them, which is currently the company's only chip making partner.

However, the company is reportedly not planning to stop relying on TSMC, as it is said to simply offer Apple a secondary option beyond the Taiwan-based chipmaker. The report added that Apple is in early talks with Intel about using the US-based tech giant's chip manufacturing facilities.

On the other hand, Apple executives are said to have recently visited Samsung Electronics' new plant in Texas, which is currently under construction and could manufacture “advanced chips” for the Tim Cook-led company.

While Apple is said to be discussing possible contracts with Intel, the early-stage talks have yet to materialise into orders for the two tech giants, the report said. The Cupertino-based iPhone maker has reportedly expressed concerns about using chipsets not built using TSMC technology and manufacturing processes. Hence, Bloomberg's industry sources claim that Apple might not “move forward” with a new partner for manufacturing its SoCs.

While the exact reason behind Apple's move remains unclear, it could be fuelled by the US-imposed reciprocal tariffs, as the US administration has been asking tech companies to start manufacturing within the country's borders to avoid the tariffs. Since these talks with Intel are said to be in preliminary stages, it is hard to say whether Apple will actually shift its chip manufacturing to the country.