Trump claims Apple and Intel finalise chip production deal in the US

United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Apple has finalised a deal with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the US. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump stated the agreement was driven by efforts to return chip manufacturing capacity to America after years of semiconductor production being concentrated in other countries, including Taiwan. However, neither Apple nor Intel has yet issued official confirmation of the deal. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has reportedly held a series of meetings with Apple executives for more than a year to encourage the company to resume working with Intel. Apple and Intel previously had a close business relationship before Apple switched to its own Apple Silicon chips, which are largely manufactured by Taiwanese semiconductor firm TSMC. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Intel is expected to conduct trial production of Apple chips throughout 2026 before commencing mass production and shipments the following year. If the collaboration proceeds as planned, Intel would produce chips for iPhone and Mac devices at its factories in Oregon, Arizona, and Ohio. However, TSMC is still expected to remain Apple’s primary chip manufacturer. The US government acquired a 10 percent stake in Intel in August 2025 through an investment worth 8.9 billion US dollars, funded partly by the CHIPS Act programme and partly by the Secure Enclave initiative aimed at strengthening the domestic semiconductor industry.