Apple CEO Praises U.S. Chip Supply Chain Progress, Announces $6000 Billion Investment

Apple's CEO expressed satisfaction with the progress made in integrating an end-to-end chip supply chain in the United States. The company has been actively seeking ways to bring more production back to the U.S. since announcing a 5000 billion dollar investment commitment earlier this year. The CEO emphasized that this is not a matter of "reshoring" since these production activities were never in the U.S. to begin with. Multiple projects have been identified and efforts are being intensified to implement them.

The interview took place at the Corning Glass Works factory in Kentucky, where Apple has committed to investing 25 billion dollars for the production of glass used in all iPhone and Apple Watch devices. This investment is a small fraction of Apple's total planned investment of 6000 billion dollars in U.S. manufacturing over the next four years. In February, Apple announced a 5000 billion dollar investment, including funds for a new AI server factory in Texas. In August, an additional 1000 billion dollars was pledged to U.S. businesses and suppliers.

The CEO highlighted Apple's efforts to expand chip production capacity and mentioned that the U.S. chip supply chain is expected to produce 190 billion chips for Apple products this year. The CEO also noted Apple's investment in a TSMC chip manufacturing plant, which will be the most advanced chip factory in the U.S. Additionally, a collaboration with MP Materials on rare earth magnets was mentioned.

The CEO asserted that the U.S. is fully capable of conducting large-scale advanced manufacturing and is competitive in this area. The CEO also mentioned that Apple maintains continuous communication with the Trump administration regarding investment progress. The administration had announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors and chips, but exempted companies like Apple that conduct production in the U.S.

Regarding the Trump administration, the CEO stated that the relationship is excellent and interactions are very active. The administration is focused on regulatory issues and is working to reduce the regulatory processes required for new factories and data centers.