Apple reportedly strikes deal for Intel to make some of its chips — two tech giants reached a preliminary agreement for Intel to make processors for Cupertino
We don't know which chips Intel will be making, but it's a good sign for Lip-Bu Tan regardless.
Sources close to both Apple and Intel have said that the two companies have reached a preliminary agreement for Intel to manufacture processors for Apple. According to The Wall Street Journal, the two parties have been in talks for over a year, and they’ve been finalizing a formal deal over the past few months. Apple is reportedly looking for alternative fabs to TSMC, as it wants to diversify its supply chain in the midst of ongoing chip shortages, and it seems that this latest development is a confirmation of this report.
It’s currently unclear which chips the U.S. semiconductor company will be making for the largest consumer electronics firm in the world, but it previously made the x86 processors used in Macs and MacBooks from 2006 to 2023. Intel also had the chance to build the A-series chips that Apple used for the iPhone and iPad, but it fumbled the opportunity — with Tim Cook complaining to TSMC founder Morris Chang, “Intel just does not know how to be a foundry.”
Intel apparently learned its lesson, though, as Apple was reportedly considering Intel’s 18A process for its entry-level M-series chips as early as November of last year. Even before this, the two companies were already in discussions about a potential investment into the chip maker, something that President Donald Trump alluded to in early 2026. Aside from Apple, Intel has also received a $5-billion investment from Nvidia and that the two are partnering to develop an x86 RTX SoC for PCs. Elon Musk also tapped Intel for his TeraFab project, which will use the company’s 14A process to make AI chips.
These developments are excellent news for Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who has been working hard to put the company back on track after former CEO Pat Gelsinger announced disastrous results in July 2024. It has also caused the company’s stock price to skyrocket, hitting a record high of $126.23 at the time of writing and beating its former peak during the dot-com boom of 2000. But we'll have to wait for confirmation from the two companies — as neither has officially commented on this news yet — to learn the details of this groundbreaking deal.
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Jowi Morales is a tech enthusiast with years of experience working in the industry. He’s been writing with several tech publications since 2021, where he’s been interested in tech hardware and consumer electronics.
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Gururu Size and profit aside, is Intel ahead of TSMC on the 18A,14A node, and packaging fronts?Reply -
usertests Reply
I think they are using high-NA EUV before TSMC, and the packaging is well-regarded.Gururu said:Size and profit aside, is Intel ahead of TSMC on the 18A,14A node, and packaging fronts?
It doesn't matter if what they want is extra capacity for budget chips:
It’s currently unclear which chips the U.S. semiconductor company will be making for the largest consumer electronics firm in the world
The kek says it's A21, an unannounced and unreleased chip for Macbook Neo, and presumably iPhone/iPad.
Apple Taps Intel To Make Its Next-Gen Macbook Neo Chips, A21, The Competitor To x86 PCs -
JamesJones44 Reply
The Neo and older nodes for the A series would seem to make the most sense, at least to start. If Apple really is going to use Intel for the A21 then that could be a massive win for Intel because that would be a leading edge SoC for next years iPhone lineup.usertests said:The kek says it's A21, an unannounced and unreleased chip for Macbook Neo, and presumably iPhone/iPad. -
JRStern Reply
"Ahead", what does that mean?Gururu said:Size and profit aside, is Intel ahead of TSMC on the 18A,14A node, and packaging fronts? -
vossile What I find disastrous is that it's being made to look as if Lip-Bu managed to "make everything better" after Pat left. At the same time everybody is always saying how it takes 3-5 years to get fabs up and running.Reply
2026-2024 doesn't make that span of time, so this is in effect all Pat's harvest being raked in. -
usertests Reply
I'm sure Pat has enough Benjamins to wipe the tears away.vossile said:What I find disastrous is that it's being made to look as if Lip-Bu managed to "make everything better" after Pat left. At the same time everybody is always saying how it takes 3-5 years to get fabs up and running.
2026-2024 doesn't make that span of time, so this is in effect all Pat's harvest being raked in. -
vossile Reply
Undoubtedly!usertests said:I'm sure Pat has enough Benjamins to wipe the tears away.
I'm probably complaining more about stock driven leadership decisions - and I really liked the x386 and x486 CPUs. -
samopa Reply
For me, ahead means which company can produce a profitable yield using 18A and 14A technology first, so they can reach the market faster, "ahead" of others.JRStern said:"Ahead", what does that mean? -
TerryLaze Reply
And that matters how?!?samopa said:For me, ahead means which company can produce a profitable yield using 18A and 14A technology first, so they can reach the market faster, "ahead" of others.
TSMC is already booked solid, including future nodes...
All intel needs to do is to be in the same general ballpark.
And honestly even if they aren't, it's still more profitable to make and sell product than to wait for years without selling as much as you could. -
Gururu Reply
I suppose I was leaning more towards in-house R&D success getting the technology in a place to meet market needs. It's been unclear to me which company is further ahead, for example, towards releasing a 14A product. I still don't know if AMD already has a 18A or equivalent product in consumer hands already. If they do, it would be nice to see some articles comparing the design and engineering with actual performance.samopa said:For me, ahead means which company can produce a profitable yield using 18A and 14A technology first, so they can reach the market faster, "ahead" of others.