Apple and Intel Strike US Chip Manufacturing Deal

A White House-announced partnership between Apple and Intel to design and manufacture chips inside the United States could reshape the iPhone supply chain and deepen the US-China tech rivalry. President Trump revealed the deal Thursday, sending Intel shares up roughly 9% in premarket trading — a significant gain for a chipmaker that has spent years losing ground to rivals like TSMC and AMD.

The timing matters. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently called the company's chip supply situation "unsustainable," with a RAM shortage tied to AI demand threatening to push iPhone prices higher. Apple depends heavily on Taiwan-based TSMC. Moving production to Intel's US foundries would change that. Details on which chips Intel will produce, and on what timeline, have not been disclosed. Analysts will be watching whether the deal survives contact with Intel's still-maturing foundry business.