Intel Has Already Started Making Chips for Apple, It Seems, but Not the Most Advanced Kind
Intel has started low-end iPhone chip production for Apple, while TSMC is expected to keep more than 90% of supply share, Kuo said.
- Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Intel has "kicked off" small-scale testing of lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac chip fabrication, marking a significant shift in Apple's manufacturing strategy.
- Six years after Apple dropped Intel in favor of its own M-series processors, the companies are reportedly partnering again on new silicon for "low-end/legacy" devices to diversify production sources.
- These Apple-designed chips utilize Intel's advanced process nodes and Foveros packaging; per Kuo, roughly 80% of the chips are meant for iPhones, mirroring Apple's existing end-device sales mix.
- TSMC is still expected to "retain over 90% of supply share" once Intel's operations are fully up and running, though the company's 10-year exclusive supplier streak may be ending.
- Production is expected to ramp up throughout 2027 and 2028, and Apple is actively evaluating Intel's other advanced-node technologies, suggesting the partnership could expand if manufacturing trials succeed.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Report: Intel is Testing Production of Some iPhone, iPad, and Mac Chips
TSMC has been the exclusive supplier of Apple's systems-on-a-chip since 2016, but that 10-year streak could be nearing its end. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said that Intel has "kicked off" small-scale testing of lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac chip fabrication, with production expected to ramp up throughout 2027 and 2028. Kuo did not indicate exactly which of Apple's A-series and/or M-series chips would be manufactured by Intel.
[Digital Daily Reporter Kim Moon-ki] Apple has broken its exclusive chip supply contract with Taiwan's TSMC, which has been in place since 2016, and has abruptly begun preparations to produce chips for iPhones and Macs through Intel's foundry in the United States. On the 14th (local time), Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple supply chain analyst at Taiwan's TF International, revealed in a recent report that Intel has started small-scale test production of c…
Kuo: Apple is testing iPhone chipset production at Intel
Earlier this month, we saw a report which claimed that Apple is looking to diversify its chip production away from TSMC with Intel and Samsung as potential partners. Noted Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo’s latest post also backs up these claims alongside a few more details. Apple and Intel have apparently kicked off legacy Apple silicon chip production on Intel’s 18A-P process, which is equivalent to TSMC’s process used on the A18 Pro chip. According…
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