For over 10 years, Apple has depended on Taiwan-based TSMC to build the chips that power iPhones and Macs. That could soon change.
Apple is talking with Intel and Samsung about producing its main processors in the US, according to Bloomberg. CEO Tim Cook said on the company’s recent earnings call that chip shortages are constraining growth for products like the Mac mini and iPhone 17 Pro. “We have less flexibility in the supply chain than we normally would,” he said. Intel’s stock jumped 12% on the news.
But this goes deeper than just today’s supply problems. Apple likes having at least two suppliers for any critical part—it gives them better pricing and backup options if something goes wrong. The Taiwan situation is especially dicey. China claims the island as its own territory, and Cook’s pointed out that having 60% of chip production concentrated in one spot “is probably not a strategic position.” Apple already gets some chips from TSMC’s Arizona plant, but bringing Intel and Samsung into the mix would mark a real shift in how the company sources its most important components.
For over 10 years, Apple has depended on Taiwan-based TSMC to build the chips that power iPhones and Macs. That could soon change.
Apple is talking with Intel and Samsung about producing its main processors in the US, according to Bloomberg. CEO Tim Cook said on the company’s recent earnings call that chip shortages are constraining growth for products like the Mac mini and iPhone 17 Pro. “We have less flexibility in the supply chain than we normally would,” he said. Intel’s stock jumped 12% on the news.
But this goes deeper than just today’s supply problems. Apple likes having at least two suppliers for any critical part—it gives them better pricing and backup options if something goes wrong. The Taiwan situation is especially dicey. China claims the island as its own territory, and Cook’s pointed out that having 60% of chip production concentrated in one spot “is probably not a strategic position.” Apple already gets some chips from TSMC’s Arizona plant, but bringing Intel and Samsung into the mix would mark a real shift in how the company sources its most important components.
