Apple · Engadget
Intel has reportedly signed a preliminary agreement to produce chips for Apple
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 4 outlets. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
✓ KHAO Verified
Following more than a year of "intensive talks," The Wall Street Journal reports Apple has reached a preliminary agreement with Intel for the former titan to produce some of the chips that power its devices.
Key facts
- In September, Intel then signed a $5 billion agreement with NVIDIA to build PC and data centers CPUs for the AI giant
- In a roundabout way, Apple's own C1 modem also wouldn't exist without Intel; Apple bought most the company's modem division in 2019 for $1 billion
- After Intel appointed Lip-Bu Tan in 2025 to take over for former CEO Pat Gelsinger, President Trump was quick to criticize the executive and call for his resignation over past ties to China
- In 2015, Apple also released the 12-inch MacBook, its first fanless laptop
Summary
According to the Journal, over the last 12 months Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has repeatedly met with Apple leadership, including outgoing CEO Tim Cook, to convince the company to get back into business with Intel. In a roundabout way, Apple's own C1 modem also wouldn't exist without Intel; Apple bought most the company's modem division in 2019 for $1 billion. But like many of Apple's supply relationships, the honeymoon with Intel was not to last. By 2010, the company had begun designing its own chips, starting with the Apple A4, which eventually made its way to the first iPad and iPhone 4. By 2020, Intel was a shell of its former, once dominant self.