Intel is Testing the Production of Select iPhone, iPad, and Mac Chips

While TSMC has been the exclusive fabricator of Apple’s A-Series and M-Series systems-on-a-chip since 2016, a new report indicates that exclusive run could be coming to an end.

Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on Thursday said that Intel has “kicked off” small-scale testing of lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac chip fabrication. Kuo says production is expected to ramp up throughout 2027 and 2028.

Below are my latest industry checks on the Apple-Intel partnership, which help interpret it at a deeper level:

1. Apple has kicked off low-end/legacy iPhone, iPad, and Mac processors at Intel on the 18A-P series (using Foveros packaging).
2. The order mix is roughly 80% iPhone, mirroring Apple’s end-device sales mix.
3. Apple’s wafer plans at Intel reflect the technology lifecycle of the 18A-P series: small-scale testing in 2026, ramp in 2027, continued growth in 2028, and decline in 2029.
4. Apple is also actively evaluating Intel’s other advanced-node technologies.
5. Intel’s mass production timeline and shipment scale remain unclear, and assemblers/EMS have yet to see any shipment schedules.
6. Intel’s 2027 yield target is to first stabilize at 50–60% or higher.
7. Even if Intel’s initial shipments go smoothly, TSMC will still retain over 90% of supply share.
8. Internally, sentiment at Intel toward Apple’s orders appears mixed.
9. Apple began discussions with Intel well before TSMC’s advanced-node capacity became tight.
10. Apple recognizes that TSMC’s resources will continue tilting toward AI.

Building on these findings, this analysis examines the three parties’ strategic responses to the structural shift in advanced-node manufacturing. TSMC stands out here, as the industry leader and a passive party in this event. What it appears able to do is limited, but the situation deserves deeper reading.

Kuo did not specify which of Apple’s A-series and/or M-series chips Intel would begin manufacturing.

Apple is utilizing Intel’s 18A process (using Foveros packaging) for these chips, and Kuo says the company is evaluating Intel’s other advanced-node technologies.

Sourcing chips from two suppliers will allow Apple to keep costs low, and a partnership with US company Intel will likely gain Apple more favor from the Trump administration, which is pushing for more US manufacturing. That said, Taiwan’s TSMC will remain responsible for more than 90% of Apple’s chip supply, says Kuo.

It isn’t known whether Intel’s relationship with Apple would be limited to strictly fabrication, or if it would eventually also play a role in chip design. The chips in question will be used in some lower-end iPhone, iPad, and Mac models.

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