Will future iPhones be affected by this change?

Not in the near term. Talks with Intel and Samsung are at a very early stage with no orders yet. A-series chips for iPhone will continue coming from TSMC for the foreseeable future. Any change would be gradual and take years to implement.

Why is Intel interesting despite its current foundry struggles?

This would be a win for Intel as it's looking to land a major customer for its foundry business — something it fumbled in 2011 when Apple first approached it for custom chip needs. Intel under Lip-Bu Tan is attempting to rebuild its manufacturing capabilities.

Will TSMC lose Apple as a customer?

Not in the near term. TSMC is estimated to deliver 100 million chips for Apple this year, but that is just a fraction of Apple's total demands with the majority of its advanced SoCs still expected to come from Taiwan.

Is this a new development or has it happened before?

In August 2025, Apple announced a partnership with Samsung to co-develop a new chip manufacturing technology at Samsung's Austin fab. The current move expands that collaboration and adds Intel to the equation.

Is there an actual deal in place?

Apple and Intel have reportedly reached a deal to produce future chips, but actual execution won't begin before 2029 at the earliest given the timeline for Intel's 14A technology node to reach volume production.

Apple Explores Intel and Samsung for Chip Production to Reduce TSMC Dependence

Apple Explores Intel and Samsung — The End of TSMC Exclusivity?

Bloomberg reports Apple has been exploring early-stage talks with Intel and evaluating facilities from Samsung Electronics as it looks to diversify production of its core device chips beyond TSMC.

What's Driving This Move?

Three factors converging simultaneously:

TSMC pressure: Apple has traditionally enjoyed a lot of leverage with TSMC due to an exclusive arrangement and massive order volume, but as other tech powerhouses like Google and Nvidia throw buckets of money at TSMC to push for more high-performance chips, Apple is slowly getting squeezed out.

Geopolitical concerns: Current market dynamics driven by a global surge in AI demand and geopolitical instability around Taiwan are forcing Apple to seek a more diversified manufacturing base. Most of Apple's production still comes from Taiwan despite TSMC's Arizona plant ramping up.

US government pressure: Intel is now partly owned by the US, and the Trump administration has reportedly been making efforts to secure new deals for the company. The US government played a key role in the Apple deal.

Intel — From Rival to Partner

It wasn't clear if Apple had any interest in such a deal before, but times have changed — Apple is not only actively talking to Intel under its new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, but could even be pursuing an arrangement with Samsung to build some of its chips.

Reports indicate Apple's M-series chips are evaluating Intel's 18A-P node.

Samsung — The Texas Facility

Apple executives visited a Samsung Electronics plant in Texas that is expected to produce advanced chips. Samsung Foundry is a viable alternative to TSMC through its advanced SF2 2nm designs.

The Real Challenges

Bloomberg notes Apple has concerns about using non-TSMC manufacturing technologies and may not ultimately move forward with another partner. Intel and Samsung can't reliably offer the type of production and scale that's turned TSMC into the dominant made-to-order chip manufacturer.

Intel's 14A node won't reach volume production until 2029, meaning Apple won't actually receive Intel-made chips for at least two to three years.