Apple Reportedly Agreed to Intel Chips To Avoid White House Tariffs (theregister.com) 55
According to the Wall Street Journal (paywalled), Apple agreed to use Intel's U.S. chipmaking plants after White House officials pressured Tim Cook during tariff-relief talks last summer. MacRumors reports: In August 2025, Apple CEO Tim Cook was in Washington to lobby the Trump administration to drop its proposed 100 percent tariff on semiconductor imports -- a levy that would have raised costs across Apple's product line. Apple reportedly secured an exemption after pledging to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the U.S., although many of those investments were already planned. During the meetings, president Trump and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick are said to have urged Cook to use Intel's fabrication plants to make some of Apple's chips. The link between the tariff talks and the Apple-Intel deal had not been previously reported.
Almost a year later, Trump announced via his Truth Social platform that Apple would begin using Intel-made chips in some products. "We need to design and build our Chips right here in America," the president posted. The news sent Intel shares to record highs. According to a person familiar with the negotiations cited by the WSJ, Apple plans to have Intel make chips for both Mac laptops and iPhones. The report doesn't say which chips or in what volume, and Apple is expected to remain reliant on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, for the majority of its custom silicon.
Almost a year later, Trump announced via his Truth Social platform that Apple would begin using Intel-made chips in some products. "We need to design and build our Chips right here in America," the president posted. The news sent Intel shares to record highs. According to a person familiar with the negotiations cited by the WSJ, Apple plans to have Intel make chips for both Mac laptops and iPhones. The report doesn't say which chips or in what volume, and Apple is expected to remain reliant on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, for the majority of its custom silicon.
Correction: (Score:4, Funny)
"During the meetings, president Taco Tuesday and commerce secretary Howard Nutlick are said to have...."
There FTFY.
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Such a low slash ID for such a young child.
says the waste of oxygen
Says the COWARD.
FOAD.
If only (Score:5, Informative)
There was some sort of... its been so long, whats that stuff called? Oh yeah, legislation! What if there was sort of legislation that funded and support domestic semiconductor fabrication and all the precursor stuff needed for it?
Whats that? There was? [wikipedia.org]
Wonder what happened? Oh yeah, it was picked apart and kind of left to rot. I'm sure gladhanding and handshake deals with the President will be just as good.
Beyond Natcast’s discontinuation (and the apparent termination of the NSTC itself), the Industrial Advisory Committee has been disbanded, the National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program is not active,4 the new semiconductor-focused Manufacturing USA Institute has been discontinued, and the Consortium Steering Committee has not met since the change of administration.5 As these activities are mandated by the CHIPS Act, it is not clear how Commerce intends to comply with the Act without substantially increasing staff — at odds with the administration’s push for smaller government. From the outside, the new CHIPS R&D vision appears more like a profit-driven investment program than a provider of core infrastructure benefiting all participants and prioritizing American national and economic security.
https://www.factorysettings.or... [factorysettings.org]
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A decent point, but somehow this seems a case where Trump actually acted in (in his judgement) the country's best interests. ... And I'm not sure it wasn't in the country's best interests.
Re:If only (Score:5, Insightful)
this seems a case where Trump actually acted in (in his judgement) the country's best interests.
It might happen, but I'm not sure you can say it was Trump's judgement that got us there. Seems to me he acts in self-interest almost exclusively, except for his kids and close friends. And even then it seems transactional. If it benefits someone else as well, that's a collateral effect.
"America First" has been his rallying cry, but by word and deed he seems to think "Trump first."
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Tbh I'm wondering if Trump purchased any intel stock beforehand.
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I know I'd really appreciate a "Trump's Stock Tips" feed right about now. Sure, I'm up, but the possible gains if I'd only had the right kind of information. I could of retired already...
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For sure, to be clear I am not doubting that Trump is doing what he thinks is right for the country, which is his mind I think includes the gladhanding, I mean, he made the deal it has to be in all our interests!.
To that end my point is he's bad at the job, of governance and being President and has bad judgement which is always clouded by revenge against Obama and Biden
Basically by my estimation if he had instead continued with the Chips Act as legislated, like he's supposed to, we'd probably be on a better
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It's in the country's best interest for governments to pick corporate winners and losers while raising costs to consumers?
Don't count your boobies just yet, Intel (Score:3)
If it isn't in Apple's interest, they'll just chuck the "deal" after el Bunko leaves office. Too bad you paid off el Bunko already.
Sting (Score:2)
To be fair, even Intel tried to move beyond x86 (Score:2)
Arm on Intel silicon... that has got to sting a bit for Intel...
Feeling a sting is a good thing, it means you are still alive. :-)
To be fair, moving away from x86 is something intel wanted. The market said no. The market said no to Intel Itanium, Apple IBM Motorola Power PC, Dec Alpha, etc. x86, MIPS, PowerPC, and Alpha were all available for Windows NT 4; consumers largely did not care.
Re: To be fair, even Intel tried to move beyond x8 (Score:2)
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NT4 wasn't a consumer OS though. So of course they didn't care.
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NT4 wasn't a consumer OS though. So of course they didn't care.
I was using "consumer" in both the home and business user sense. Windows NT 4 CDs were available on retail store shelves back in the day, These retail CDs included x86, Alpha, MIPS, and PowerPC support. I recall Byte magazine offering comparisons of Intel and PowerPC based Windows NT 4 systems.
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that has got to sting a bit for Intel
Maybe. I doubt it: Intel seems to have figured out that x86 is not it's exclusive future, a change in corporate mentality that long overdue.
Also, this story must be fake news: Tariffs Don't Work! member?
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To be fair, Intel has been doing ARM for a long time. The old shitbox "PocketPC" devices used Intel PowerARM and Xscale processors, as well as the shitty Windows Smartphone.
I didn't say they were particularly good, but Intel has had an ARM license for quite some time.
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There have been some calls for Intel to reorganise into separate chip development and chip fabrication divisions or businesses.
Note, Intel had previously designed StrongARM and XScale lines, but sold them off.
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Nope, Intel has made ARM chips before, remember StrongARM? It just couldn't sell them.
Right now Intel is making its variant of an AMD CPU design after trying for several years to make variants of an HP design while reluctantly selling a 32 bit chip based on an 8 bit chip (the 8008) it built for a terminal manufacturer in the 1970s, in much greater quantities. I think you severely overestimate how enthusiastic Intel is about the CPUs it sells. Intel has repeatedly tried to come up with better designs than it
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Exactly. The fabs don't give two shits what they're etching, as long as they're etching. The last thing anyone wants to do is idle a multi-billion dollar fab - you want that thing running 3 shifts a day, racing to positive ROI before it's obsolete and needs to be retooled.
Back in the day at Intel (in the Pentium 4 days) if they had an unintended stop in a fab, they would be losing roughly $1M/minute until it's back up. With chip sizes going down, and wafer sizes and yields going up, that effect only infl
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The check cashes all the same. And right now Intel needs every check they can cash.
two words (Score:2, Insightful)
unabashed cronyism
TSMC is promising new fabs in the USA (Score:4)
Apple is expected to remain reliant on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, or TSMC, for the majority of its custom silicon
And TSMC is promising new fabs in the USA. From Google:
"TSMC is building a massive semiconductor complex in Phoenix, Arizona, backed by a $165 billion total investment pledge. The project will eventually span six fabrication plants (fabs), two advanced packaging facilities, and an R&D center, heavily funded by the U.S. CHIPS Act and recent trade agreements."
Re:TSMC is promising new fabs in the USA (Score:5, Informative)
promising is they keyword here. Fabs take years to build and the USA isn't exactly a reliable trading partner.
Apple already using TSMC chips made in the USA (Score:5, Informative)
promising is they keyword here. Fabs take years to build and the USA isn't exactly a reliable trading partner.
I think "current status" is the key phrase here. From Google:
"TSMC’s massive $65 billion Phoenix, Arizona, project is rapidly expanding into a "gigafab" cluster. The first fab has been in production since late 2024 using 4nm process technology. Construction on the second fab is complete, with equipment installation underway ahead of an accelerated 2027 production target for 3nm chips
Fab 1: High-volume production of 4-nanometer (N4) chips is actively supplying major U.S. customers like Apple and NVIDIA.
Fab 2: The physical building structure is complete. Equipment installation is slated for 2026, with high-volume production of 3-nanometer (N3) chips targeted for the second half of 2027.
Fab 3: Groundbreaking and structural topping ceremonies are complete, with this facility slated to utilize even more advanced 2nm and A16 process technologies.
Future Expansion: TSMC has acquired additional land and laid the groundwork for up to six fabs plus research and development facilities"
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Apple is moving some manufacturing out of China (Score:3)
"Apple is actively shifting a significant portion of its manufacturing out of China to reduce supply chain reliance and mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs. The company has accelerated plans to manufacture the majority of its U.S.-bound iPhones in India and produce other devices in Vietnam"
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But poster's point is still valid. Making the chips here only to ship them overseas for the device to be assembled.
The are to bigger points. (1) The most critical component is made in the USA. (2) We are less vulnerable to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan so we are more likely to help Taiwan. (3) His point is a temporary and volatile one.
The only difference is assembled in Vietnam or India instead of China. Not much difference when it comes to US jobs assembling those phones.
Actually a huge difference, we are not funding Chinese military expansion and bullying of the region. We funding those who need assistance defending against China.
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The are to bigger points.
None of these points have anything to do with what he said. You are introducing strawman arguments.
Actually a huge difference, we are not funding Chinese military expansion and bullying of the region. We funding those who need assistance defending against China.
How does jobs in China or Vietnam create jobs in the US again? You seem to missed the whole part that where I said: " Not much difference when it comes to US jobs assembling those phones."
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The are to bigger points.
None of these points have anything to do with what he said. You are introducing strawman arguments.
Nope. The straw man is that US jobs are the only concern.
Also you falsely act as if step 1, fabs, is somehow inherently the end of the process. That too is wrong.
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What will happen first, Iran launches nukes or China invades Taiwan? I've been hearing about both for decades.
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What will happen first, Iran launches nukes or China invades Taiwan? I've been hearing about both for decades.
So what, the US began suspecting Imperial Japan may become an enemy over a decade before Pearl Harbor.
USA is #1 at creating Cults (Score:2)
American cults have significant indirect impacts on the world and we produce the most and house the most of them. Some get exported even. Some do a little good like helping Tom Cruze make some entertaining movies.
But right now, the worst cult is driving up global oil prices.
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It gets you points with the orange tub of shit.
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It's arguably considerably simpler to migrate putting electronic devices together relatively quickly than to go from having no chip-manufacturing capability to having it given the specialist equipment and other complexities
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promising is they keyword here. Fabs take years to build and the USA isn't exactly a reliable trading partner.
Years to build?
The multi-trillion dollar American AI mega-project working 24/7/365 is a reminder of the gettin' shit motherfuckin' DONE kind of timeline.
Shocking what happens when the schedule is powered by Greed. You act as if a new American chip factory wouldn't be profitable from hour one when the fucking building alone demands an IPO at the ribbon cutting..
Gee, I wonder if Trump invested in Intel? (Score:3)
I wonder if Trump dumped a shitpile of coin into Intel stock right before making this public announcement about Apple's forced Intel interest?
I sure hope he can get cashed out before public interest in Intel plummets again.
*SIGH*
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Correct.
In trumps first year back in the WH, he disclosed more than 21,000 securities trades.
All of Congress made only 13,324 trades last year.
Biden made a total of 13 during his entire tenure.
Obama made zero stock trades during his entire 8 years.
On the same day that the White House unveiled its "AI Action Plan" on July 23, 2025, Trump purchased between $1-5 million each in six companies -- Amazon, Apple, Broadcom, Meta, Microsoft, and Nvidia -- whose work with AI was directly impacted by the policy.
He'll
This is great news (Score:4, Informative)
Modern factories don't need a lot of people. China and India have them because labor it horribly cheap there. With access to slaves in many places.
Trump's own commerce Secretary admitted that even in the factories come back the jobs won't
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For the 20 or 30 employees there...
Modern factories don't need a lot of people. China and India have them because labor it horribly cheap there. With access to slaves in many places.
Trump's own commerce Secretary admitted that even in the factories come back the jobs won't
Even there they improve automation if it makes sense. Its not always a cost of labour, but managing error rates,
From what I understand (Score:1)
There are signs that it's changing because their ruling class has consolidated enough power they can afford to start blowing off the public. But I don't think they're q
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"For the 20 or 30 employees there..."
What semiconductor fab did you work in that only required 20 to 30 people to run?