Apple is rumoured to be taking a surprising pivot in its silicon strategy soon. As per the new report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the leading tech giant's entry-level M-series chipsets might be manufactured by Intel from 2027 onwards. The two companies have reportedly already signed a non-disclosure agreement that allows Intel access to Apple's 18AP process development kit.
If true, this would constitute Apple's biggest outsourcing move since the company shifted from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon lineup in 2020. Currently, all M-series chips, including the M1, M2, and M3 families of chips, are exclusively made by TSMC on its most advanced manufacturing nodes.
Intel expected to produce entry-level M-series chips
In a post on X, Kuo has said that Intel is getting ready to start volume production of Apple's lowest-tier M-series processors - the kind that go into products like the MacBook Air and lower-end iPads.
They may not be the most premium chipsets in Apple's portfolio, but they are a big part of its high-volume consumer sales, as per the report.
Intel is reportedly manufacturing the chips using its future 18AP process node. The design kit versions 1.0 and 1.1 are likely to be finished by early 2026, which would allow Intel to start mass-producing volumes the next year. Once the process stabilises, the chipmaker may be able to supply Apple with as many as 15-20 million units per year.
A rare reversal for Apple
This would be a rare step backwards toward Intel after Apple had made such a high-profile shift to ARM-based Apple Silicon, completed in 2020, which had brought dramatic improvements in performance and battery efficiency across the Mac range.
Partially shifting back to Intel indicates that Apple's need to diversify production beyond TSMC in light of global foundry competition is indeed increasing.
Intel's foundry ambitions grow
Intel's 18AP node is part of a broader ambition by the company to take on TSMC and Samsung with expanded manufacturing. It's still in development but could go into mass production by the middle to late 2027.
If Apple comes aboard as a big customer, then that alone would give Intel's foundry a fillip and reconfigure chipmaking dynamics for the next decade.