Partnership would help iPhone manufacturer diversify production currently concentrated in Taiwan’s TSMC
The President of the United States, (Republican Party), stated in the early hours of this Thursday (June 18, 2026) that Apple agreed to work with Intel in the development and manufacturing of chips in the country. The Republican presented the partnership as part of his strategy to expand North American semiconductor production. The companies have not yet confirmed the agreement.
The reported in May that Intel had reached a preliminary agreement to manufacture some of Apple’s chips. Negotiations would have lasted more than 1 year.
The eventual partnership would help Apple diversify its production chain and expand access to semiconductors. Currently, the company depends mainly on TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), whose most advanced lines also serve chip manufacturers focused on artificial intelligence, such as Nvidia and AMD.
that previous governments allowed the transfer of the North American semiconductor industry to other countries. The president cited Taiwan and said he had decided to support Intel to regain the ability to develop and produce components in the United States.
“We design everything, but we need to build it here, now. So I decided to help Intel because we need to design and manufacture our chips right here in the United States.”he wrote.
The Republican also linked Apple’s announcement to commitments that, according to him, had been made by Nvidia and businessman Elon Musk.
“First, we helped bring in Nvidia, and they agreed to manufacture their top-tier chips with Intel. Then, Elon agreed to build their TerraFab, the largest chip factory in the world, designed in conjunction with Intel’s technology team. And finally, Apple agreed to work with Intel to design and manufacture their chips in the United States.”he declared.
Intel shares rose almost 10% in trading before the market opened this Thursday (June 18). According to , the shares were quoted at US$ 129.84 and were on track to reach the highest value in the company’s history, if the increase was maintained during the trading session.
Intel reported this week that its 18A manufacturing technology has entered the initial production phase. The process is considered central in the company’s attempt to reduce the gap with TSMC in the market for manufacturing chips developed by other companies.
The Trump administration acquired a 10% stake in Intel in 2025 and announced investments of approximately US$10 billion in the construction or expansion of factories in the United States.
Trump said the company was worth around US$100 billion when the transaction was agreed and stated that the market value exceeded US$600 billion. According to the president, the North American government’s participation was now worth more than US$60 billion. The numbers he presented were not confirmed by Intel.
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