Apple has reportedly engaged in preliminary discussions with Intel and Samsung Electronics regarding potential collaborations for chip manufacturing in the United States, as per a recent Bloomberg News report. The discussions aim to diversify Apple’s main processor production, which currently heavily relies on overseas manufacturing. Apple executives have allegedly visited a Samsung semiconductor facility in Texas and have also initiated initial talks with Intel regarding its foundry services.
The talks are said to be in the exploratory stage, with no finalized agreements or production orders yet. If Apple were to make a shift, it would signify a significant change in its supply chain strategy, which has traditionally been reliant on TSMC for advanced chip fabrication.
Presently, Apple’s latest iPhone models, including the iPhone 17 series, are manufactured using variations of TSMC’s chip manufacturing technology, notably utilized in advanced AI chips production.
These discussions come amidst Apple grappling with supply limitations impacting its product availability. The company previously disclosed that shortages of advanced processor chips had adversely affected iPhone sales in a recent quarter.
