Apple reportedly partners with Intel to develop chips; analysts say mass production still requires 2 to 3 years at the earliest

Glonghui, June 25｜Apple is reportedly considering having Intel produce some of its chips to support the United States in promoting domestic chip manufacturing. Malcolm Penn, CEO of chip research institute Future Horizons, stated that in the best-case scenario, the first batch of chips would not be available for shipment for another 2 to 3 years. He noted that designing a complex System on Chip (SoC) takes about 2 years, plus approximately 4 months for the production cycle and ramp-up; this also assumes that Intel's technology and design tools are sufficiently mature for Apple to rely on. Daniel Newman, CEO of Futurum Group, estimated that if Apple were to have Intel mass-produce its chips, the timeline might extend to the end of 2027 or early 2028. He believes that initial efforts may focus on lower-risk components used in products like the MacBook Air or certain iPad Pro models, rather than immediately handing over the most core products.