Apple has held early-stage talks with Intel $INTC and Samsung about manufacturing its main device processors in the United States, according to a Bloomberg report. The discussions aim to diversify its chip supply chain beyond its long-time partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). No orders have been placed and both conversations remain preliminary. Apple stock was little changed, but Intel rose as much as 4% in premarket trading, while Samsung’s Korean-listed stock surged over 5% to a record high.
Apple has relied on TSMC for over a decade, with its most advanced 3-nanometer chips currently powering iPhones and Macs. However, supply is tight: demand from AI data centers and stronger-than-expected sales of AI-capable Macs have constrained availability. On Apple’s Q2 FY26 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook flagged chip shortages as a growth bottleneck, stating, “We have less flexibility in the supply chain than we normally would.” He noted that advanced processor availability, not memory, was the core issue and that it would “take several months to reach supply-demand balance.”
Apple executives reportedly visited Samsung’s new semiconductor fabrication plant under construction in Taylor, Texas. Samsung, already a supplier of peripheral iPhone components, would gain a significant endorsement if chosen for main processors. For Intel, landing Apple would be a major win for CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s turnaround of its foundry business, which has struggled to attract high-volume external clients. A deal could also improve Apple’s relationship with the Trump administration, which has championed Intel as a domestic chipmaking leader.
Despite the talks, Apple has real concerns about the production reliability and scale of both Intel and Samsung compared to TSMC. TSMC is expanding in Phoenix, Arizona, and Apple plans to receive 100 million chips from that facility in 2026—still only a fraction of its total needs. Concentration of chip production in Taiwan remains a strategic vulnerability given China’s territorial claims. Apple may ultimately stick with TSMC. Intel and Apple both declined to comment on the report, as did Samsung.
