Trump Says Apple Will Work With Intel on US Chips

Apple to – President Donald Trump says Apple will work with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the US, a move that sent Intel’s shares soaring and adds a new wrinkle to America’s push to expand domestic chip production.

On Thursday, the market heard a promise before it heard the details. President Donald Trump posted that Apple would work with Intel to design and manufacture chips in the US, and Intel’s shares surged as the announcement spread.

For Intel, the timing lands in the middle of a long, hard pivot. Years of effort to convince the industry that it can produce advanced chips for other companies have not been easy in a landscape dominated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). A headline-level vote of confidence from Apple—if it holds—would be a rare kind of proof.

Trump’s announcement also feeds directly into a second story running underneath the semiconductor one: the push to expand domestic chip production. Since returning to office, Trump has backed initiatives aimed at building more chips at home, placing Intel in the spotlight of that broader drive.

The US government’s own relationship with Intel has already been one of the clearest signs of support. The government acquired a 10% stake in Intel in 2025. and that step has been followed by wins that carry the administration’s fingerprints. Those include a foundry manufacturing agreement with Terafab and a $5 billion commitment from Nvidia.

If an Apple partnership becomes real, it would sit among Intel’s most prominent foundry wins yet.

The human problem behind the headline is simpler than it sounds: supply chain flexibility. In April. Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “there’s just a little less flexibility in the supply chain at the moment for getting more parts.” That kind of comment doesn’t point to a single crisis so much as a persistent strain—especially as demand for AI consumes more advanced chipmaking capacity.

In that environment, even companies with deep supplier relationships look for additional manufacturing options. For Apple, Intel could mean access to more US-based manufacturing capacity and a hedge against future supply constraints. For Intel, the prize is not only revenue. Winning a company like Apple is also a public test of whether Intel can deliver the kind of chips tech companies want in an increasingly AI-focused market.

The early market reaction showed how strongly investors were willing to bet on the possibility. After the early Thursday announcement, Intel’s shares reportedly jumped 7%, while Apple’s shares rose 0.8%. When the US government acquired its Intel stake in 2025, the company was valued at about $100 billion. Intel’s market capitalization is now about $600 billion.

Still, several crucial parts of the picture are missing. Whether a deal is finalized, when supply would commence, and which specific chips Intel would make for Apple remain open questions. Neither company has yet responded to the president’s Truth Social post.

Even without those answers, the announcement gestures at a shift already underway in chips. Advanced manufacturing has long been concentrated among a few overseas players. A partnership like this. with Intel on the manufacturing side in the US. could chip away at that concentration—setting an example for other American companies and industries that want more control over where critical technology is made.

Apple Intel US chip production semiconductor industry Tim Cook supply chain AI chips contract manufacturing Terafab Nvidia Truth Social