Overview
- Apple has begun small-scale trials at Intel for lower-end and legacy iPhone, iPad, and Mac processors, which Ming-Chi Kuo detailed Thursday using Intel’s 18A-P process and Foveros 3D packaging.
- The reported roadmap calls for testing through 2026, a production ramp in 2027, peak output in 2028, and a wind-down in 2029, with Intel targeting 50% to 60% usable chip yields by 2027.
- Kuo says roughly 80% of Apple’s planned Intel orders are for iPhone chips, yet TSMC is still expected to supply over 90% of Apple’s total processors once Intel’s work scales.
- The latest checks follow a Wall Street Journal report of a preliminary Apple–Intel fabrication agreement after more than a year of talks, which helped send Intel shares up nearly 14% on May 8 and spurred fresh analyst price targets.
- Reports tie Apple’s shift to both capacity pressure as TSMC prioritizes AI and high-performance customers and U.S. political encouragement to build more chips domestically, while chip-specific rumors about future M- and A-series timelines remain unconfirmed.