Apple explores Intel and Samsung as US chipmaking partners to diversify beyond TSMC

Apple has held exploratory discussions with Intel and Samsung Electronics about producing its main device processors in the US, Bloomberg reported on May 5. Apple executives visited Samsung's chip plant under development in Texas and held preliminary talks with Intel about enlisting its chipmaking services. The discussions remain at early stages with no orders placed. Apple is concerned about reliability and scale of non-TSMC alternatives but is seeking a secondary option. The move follows Apple's Q2 2026 earnings call where then-CEO Tim Cook warned that iPhone sales were held back by supply constraints for advanced processors, noting that iPhone 17-family chips use the same TSMC technology as leading AI chips.