TSMC has been the exclusive supplier of Apple’s SoCs since 2016, but that 10-year streak may be coming to an end.
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today that Intel has “started” small-scale manufacturing tests of low-end chips for iPhone, iPad and Mac, with production expected to ramp up throughout 2027 and 2028. Kuo did not say exactly which of Apple’s A-series and/or M-series chips would be made by Intel.
Apple uses Intel’s 18A process for these chips and is evaluating other advanced node technologies from Intel, according to Kuo.
By sourcing chips from two suppliers, Apple can negotiate lower costs and strengthen supply. In this case, Apple reconnecting with Intel could win favor with the Trump administration, which wants more manufacturing in the United States. However, Kuo said Taiwan’s TSMC would remain responsible for more than 90% of Apple’s chip supply.
There is no indication that Intel would play a role in the design of iPhone chips, with its involvement expected to be strictly limited to manufacturing. This would be different from the era of Intel Macs, which used Intel-designed processors with x86 architecture. Apple began dropping Intel processors from Macs in 2020.
Overall, these would be chips designed by Apple and manufactured by Intel in the United States, intended for use in certain low-end iPhone, iPad and Mac models.
Apple’s potential return to Intel has been reported by numerous sources at this point, but no official announcement has been made yet.