Apple Inc. 正在与 Intel Corp. 与 Samsung Electronics Co. 进行探索性磋商，考虑在美国增加主要装置主晶片（SoC）的供应来源，但截至目前两方均未签订订单，整体仍停留在前期讨论阶段。Apple 仍以台积电（TSMC）为主力伙伴，使用 3-nanometre 制程供应最新 iPhone、iPad 与 Mac。市场反应上，Intel 股价单日飙升约 12%，触及新高并接近 105.42 美元，年初以来累计上涨超过 180%，市值增加超过 340 billion 美元；同期 Apple 股价上涨 0.8%。
供应瓶颈是讨论核心：近期 AI 资料中心大规模建设，以及对可执行本地 AI 模型的高阶 Mac 需求高于预期，推挤了先进制程产能。Tim Cook 在季度电话会议中指出，iPhone 与 Mac 的成长主要受 iPhone/ Mac SoC 不足所制，而非记忆体晶片；他估计供需回到平衡可能还需数个月。供应限制已传导至 iPhone 17 Pro，而 Apple 正在尝试防止冲击外溢到 AirPods、Apple Watch 等使用不同处理器架构的产品线。
Apple 寻求 Intel 或 Samsung 的另一面向是风险分散与策略弹性。Apple 一向要求任何关键零组件至少有两家供应商，以增强议价能力并降低单一地区冲击风险；Cook 于 2022 年曾警告，任何 60% 以上集中于单一地点都不具长期战略性。除了 Arizona 外，Apple 仍与 TSMC 密切合作，但仅规划于 2026 年从亚利桑那取得 100 million 颗晶片，仅覆盖年度整体出货需求的一小部分。Intel 的代工复苏仍在起步期，Samsung 已有德州先进制程与元件建置但在规模上仍落后 TSMC，短期难以取代主供应地位。
In the latest report, Apple is in exploratory talks with Intel Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. to add U.S. sources for its device system-on-chip (SoC) supply, but no orders have been placed and both efforts remain in preliminary discussion. Apple still depends mainly on TSMC, which makes its latest iPhone, iPad and Mac chips on the 3-nanometre process. Market reaction was notable: Intel shares rose about 12% in one session to a new high near $105.42, are up more than 180% year-to-date, and added over $340 billion to market value, while Apple shares were up 0.8%.
Supply constraints are central: recent AI data-center expansion and stronger-than-expected demand for Macs capable of local AI workloads have tightened advanced-node capacity. Tim Cook said on the quarterly call that growth was constrained by iPhone and Mac SoC shortages, not memory chips, and he estimated it would take several months to restore supply-demand balance. The shortage is already affecting the iPhone 17 Pro line, and Apple is trying to isolate constraints so AirPods and Apple Watch are not pulled into the bottleneck.
Strategic diversification and resilience are the other drivers. Apple wants at least two suppliers for critical components to preserve bargaining power and reduce single-region disruption risk; Cook said in 2022 that dependence above 60% on any one area is not a durable strategy. Beyond Arizona partnerships, Apple only expects 100 million chips from TSMC in 2026, a sliver of total annual device demand. Intel is still in early stage of finding foundry customers, and Samsung, though expanding in Texas, remains behind TSMC in scale, so neither is yet positioned to replace Apple’s primary supplier.