Apple Reportedly Begins Exploring Chip Production Partnerships

Jakarta - Apple is reportedly beginning to explore chip production partnerships with Samsung and Intel in an effort to reduce dependence on their primary supplier, TSMC.

Engadget on Tuesday (5/5) cited a Bloomberg report stating that Apple has held initial talks with Intel and visited Samsung’s under-construction chip production facility in Texas, United States.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the discussions between the companies are still in the early stages.

For more than a decade, Apple has relied on TSMC as the main supplier of chips for iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

However, the company is reportedly uncomfortable relying on a single supplier for component provision.

Apple CEO Tim Cook previously highlighted the company’s limited flexibility in the supply chain, which has been worsened by global chip availability constraints as some production is now redirected to meet artificial intelligence industry needs.

TSMC is currently producing some Apple chips at its factory in Phoenix, Arizona, and Apple has stated that 100 million of its system-on-chips (SoCs) will be produced in the United States by 2026.

However, the volume of chip production is still small compared to the company’s total device shipments, which delivered more than 247 million iPhone units in 2025.

The majority of SoCs for Apple devices are still produced in Taiwan.

Apple is reported to use TSMC’s manufacturing technology for the A20 and A20 Pro chips in the iPhone 18 lineup. Chips from other manufacturers may be used in future products in 2027.

However, Bloomberg’s report mentions that “Apple has concerns about using non-TSMC technology and may ultimately not proceed with other partners.”

Intel and Samsung are currently considered to be behind TSMC in processor technology.

Both companies have struggled over the past decade to transition to smaller and more efficient chip designs, attempting to address issues such as excessive heat and low chip yields.