For years, Apple built the image of the iPhone device around its own chips produced in facilities with the most advanced technology of the company TSMC, which stood out for their superior performance and energy efficiency. However, according to new analyst reports, Apple could change its current strategy and entrust part of the chip production to Intel, which would end its complete dependence on TSMC.
According to foreign media reports, analyst Jeff Pu points out that Intel is on the verge of establishing cooperation with Apple. Its latest research notes that Intel’s 14A manufacturing technology, which belongs to the 1.4nm class, already has a stable base of potential customers, including Apple, AMD and NVIDIA. This opens up the possibility that Intel will receive orders for both Apple SoC chips and server processors from competitors in the AI sector in the future.
Apple expands supply chain to reduce risk
Back in December of last year, Jeff Pu stated that from the iPhone generation in 2028, Apple could stop the practice of producing chips exclusively at TSMC. According to those estimates, Intel would take over the production of chips for iPhone models that do not belong to the Pro series, which would diversify Apple’s production chain and reduce business risk.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously expressed similar indications, who indicated that as early as 2027, Intel could take over the production of the basic versions of the Apple M-series processors. This further suggests that the cooperation between Apple and Intel is gradually deepening.
It is important to emphasize that Intel and Apple have a history of cooperation, but in a different form. In the past, Intel directly supplied processors for Mac computers, while today Apple completely controls the design of its chips, both for iPhone and Mac devices. In this potential new arrangement, Intel would have the role of a manufacturing partner only, with no influence on the architecture and design of the chips, which remain entirely in Apple’s hands, reports 9to5Mac.