Apple is quietly laying the groundwork for a radical reshaping of its chip supply chain, and Intel is suddenly back at the center of the story. After years of relying almost entirely on Taiwan-based manufacturing, the iPhone maker is now weighing whether Intel’s most advanced foundries could handle a significant share of its future processors.
If the current flurry of analyst notes and industry leaks proves accurate, Intel may not just win a few trial runs. It could become a primary manufacturing partner for both iPhone and Mac-class silicon, potentially taking over large portions of Apple’s chip production while Apple keeps design firmly in-house.
From rivals to manufacturing partners
The idea of Apple and Intel teaming up on chips would have sounded unlikely when Apple was ripping Intel processors out of the Mac and replacing them with its own Apple Silicon. When Apple announced that shift, it made clear that Intel CPUs in products like the 2020 iMac were living on borrowed time, as custom Apple Silicon would take over inside Macs over the next couple of years. That transition was framed as a clean break, but it only severed Apple from Intel as a chip designer, not as a potential manufacturing partner.
What is emerging now is a more nuanced relationship in which Apple continues to design its own A-series and M-series processors while Intel supplies cutting-edge fabrication. Reports that Intel May Take Chip Production emphasize that Intel would not be involved in chip design, only in manufacturing. In other words, Apple keeps the architectural crown jewels, while Intel’s foundry business gets a marquee customer that could validate its most advanced process technologies.
iPhone chips: Intel’s path in through the “non‑Pro” door
The most concrete path for Intel into Apple’s ecosystem appears to run through baseline iPhones. Industry chatter indicates that Apple may rely on Intel to manufacture some future entry-level iPhone processors, separate from the current A series lineup that powers the flagship Pro models. One report describes a Dec Rumor suggesting Intel could finally manufacture iPhone chips, with Apple using Intel’s capacity to support baseline devices while keeping its highest-end silicon elsewhere.
That idea has been reinforced by financial analysts who say Intel Will Also Produce Non-Pro Apple iPhone Chips, Analyst Claims, pointing to a plan in which Intel handles processors for non-Pro iPhone models starting later this decade. One note on these Non-Pro Apple Chips highlighted that Last Friday Intel’s share price was up 10% on the back of the new foundry narrative, underscoring how seriously investors are taking the prospect of Apple business. For Apple, seeding Intel into lower-tier iPhones first would be a classic risk-managed move, letting it validate yields and power efficiency before entrusting Intel with the chips that define its most profitable devices.
M-series Macs and the 18A‑P and 14A bets
On the Mac side, the next big inflection point is the M-series roadmap. One report notes that If Kuo is correct, Apple will have TSMC build its entry-level M-series chips at its U.S.-based factories from 2027, while the rest of Apple’s M-series production strategy is still up in the air. That same analysis suggests If Kuo is right, Intel foundries may get used for Apple’s M7 processor, giving Intel a foothold in the Mac’s heart as well as the iPhone’s.
Whether that happens will depend heavily on process maturity. Apple’s potential Intel partnership hinges on 18A-P process maturity by 2027, with Apple and Intel both watching whether that node can deliver the density and power characteristics Apple expects from its leading-edge chips. The reported plan is that Apple would only move significant Mac-class volume to Intel if the 18A-P process hits its targets on time. More recent rumors go further, with analyst Jeff Pu saying Apple Rumors: Intel to Make Chips Using 14A Process, Says Jeff Pu, suggesting Apple could eventually tap Intel’s 14A technology even as TSMC Remains Apple’s Anchor Partner For Now. That framing, that TSMC Remains Apple Anchor Partner For Now, makes clear that despite the potential shift, TSMC is not being displaced, only joined by a second advanced foundry.
TSMC, diversification, and Apple’s $100 billion U.S. push
Any Intel deal has to be understood against Apple’s long-standing reliance on TSMC. Currently, Apple is using TSMC for manufacturing of its M processors, and the Taiwan-based manufacturing giant controls a huge chunk of the world’s most advanced chip production. One analysis of this relationship notes that Currently Apple and TSMC are tightly linked, with Apple having begun moving away from Intel chips used in the MacBook Pro only after TSMC could reliably deliver Apple Silicon at scale.
Apple’s own motivations are twofold. The company remains anchored to TSMC for its most advanced products, from iPhones to the highest-end Macs, but it is also looking to diversify risk and bring more production closer to its largest market. One report on this strategy notes that Apple and TSMC are exploring U.S.-based capacity even as Intel moves closer to building Apple’s entry-level M-series chips. That dovetails with Apple’s broader pledge to invest $100 billion to build a domestic chip supply chain, with Apple intending to create a supply chain for its chips in the US through the program, including 24 factories across 12 states. The scale of $100 billion in spending, backed by President Donald Trump’s push for domestic manufacturing, makes Intel’s U.S. fabs a natural candidate for Apple’s diversification drive.
Analysts, timelines, and what “take over” really means
Analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities has reiterated his forecast that Intel could begin manufacturing chips for select iPhone models and eventually for some Mac and iPad processors, framing Intel as an additional partner rather than a replacement. In his latest research, Analyst Jeff Pu describes a phased approach in which Intel first handles limited iPhone volume before expanding into other product lines. Another report notes that In December, Pu reported that Intel will start producing chips for Apple’s non-Pro iPhone models starting in 2028, with Apple bringing Intel aboard as an additional partner rather than cutting TSMC out. That same note stresses that In December, Pu framed Intel’s role as additive, not a wholesale transfer of all chip production.
Other analysts are watching the stock market impact. One investment-focused report points out that Apple rumors are looking more likely, and that Multiple analysts have upgraded Intel stock recently because of a rumor that Apple could become a major foundry customer as it seeks out alternative manufacturing sources. The same analysis notes that Multiple Intel upgrades are being justified partly by the expectation that Apple will diversify away from a single supplier. Meanwhile, another report on Apple Rumored to Partner With Intel on iPhone Chips stresses that There is no indication that Intel would play a role in designing the iPhone chips, with its involvement expected to be strictly limited to manufacturing. That clarification, that There is no design role for Intel, is crucial to understanding what “take over” actually means in this context: control of fabrication capacity, not control of the silicon roadmap.
