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.
Apple is utilizing Intel's 18A process for these chips, and it is evaluating Intel's other advanced-node technologies, according to Kuo.
By sourcing chips from two suppliers, Apple can negotiate lower costs and bolster supply. In this case, Apple rekindling a partnership with Intel could win it favor with the Trump administration, which wants more U.S. manufacturing. However, Kuo said Taiwan's TSMC will remain responsible for more than 90% of Apple's chip supply.
There is no indication that Intel would play a role in designing the iPhone chips, with its involvement expected to be strictly limited to fabrication. That would differ from the era of Intel Macs, which used Intel-designed processors with x86 architecture. Apple began transitioning away from Intel processors in Macs in 2020.
All in all, these would be Apple-designed chips manufactured by Intel in the U.S., for use in some lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac models.
Apple's potential return to Intel has been reported by numerous sources by this point, but an official announcement has still yet to be made.
