What just happened? President Trump says that Apple has agreed to work with Intel to design and build its chips in America. In a Truth Social post, Trump complained that "Stupid Presidents" had "let Taiwan and others steal our Semiconductor Factories."
"When I won my Second Term (Third, actually!), it was clear America needed its Semiconductor Industry to come back to the U.S.A. We design everything, but we need to BUILD it here, NOW!" Trump wrote. "So I decided to help Intel because we need to design and build our Chips right here in America."
The post comes just over a month after reports that Apple and Intel were working on a chip manufacturing deal. The discussions had been underway for more than a year and recently evolved into a formal arrangement.
It's no secret that Apple's reliance on TSMC is becoming strained as AI chipmakers such as Nvidia and AMD battle it out for the most advanced production capacity. Partnering with Intel would help Apple increase its chip capacity as it diversifies its manufacturing base.
Apple and Intel did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside regular business hours, so for now the announcement remains a Trump post rather than a joint confirmation. There are also questions around timing, scale, process nodes, yields, and which components Intel would make.
If this proves to be true, the deal would be a major win for Intel Foundry. Team Blue has spent years trying to convince outside customers that it can again compete at the top end of semiconductor manufacturing. Landing even a limited slice of Apple's business would give that effort a huge boost.
Apple has spent the decade so far moving Macs away from Intel-designed processors after launching its own Arm-based M-series chips in 2020. This time, however, Intel would be acting as a contract manufacturer for chips Apple designs itself.
Trump has made domestic manufacturing one of the biggest issues of his second term, especially in semiconductors. Apple pledged $500 billion in US investment at the start of 2025, which arrived amid tariff pressure on Chinese imports and possible semiconductor duties. The company later unveiled another $100 billion US investment plan after Trump repeatedly criticized Apple for assembling iPhones overseas.
Trump's post also mentions the US government's investment in Intel. Early last year, his administration converted almost $9 billion in federal funding into Intel equity, giving it roughly a 10% stake. The government has also backed tariffs of around 100% on imported semiconductors, with exemptions for companies producing in the US or promising to do so.
This isn't a sign that US-made iPhones are suddenly realistic. As we've noted before, moving final iPhone assembly to America would be wildly difficult, potentially expensive, and time consuming. Chips are a different matter, though. Reliable US capacity from Intel could give Apple a little more breathing room in the world's tightest chip market.
Trump says Apple will work with Intel to build chips in the US
