According to Bloomberg, Apple has held talks with Intel and Samsung to find additional processor manufacturers for iPhone and Mac devices. The company's management is seeking new partners due to a chip shortage, which it views as a factor hindering its growth.

Apple's primary manufacturing partner remains Taiwan's TSMC. However, according to Bloomberg, citing sources, negotiations with Intel and Samsung have not yet resulted in any agreements. The stumbling block was Apple's hesitancy to use technologies other than TSMC's. Furthermore, neither Intel nor Samsung is currently capable of consistently producing advanced processors in volumes comparable to the Taiwanese manufacturer's.

Both companies have a history of working with Apple: Intel supplied chips for Mac computers until 2020, while Samsung was a manufacturing partner for iPhone chips more than a decade ago.

According to the publication, the current chip shortage is partly due to high demand for the new MacBook Neo laptops. As journalist Tim Culpan wrote in April 2026, Apple is eager to capitalize on the surge in demand for the model, but ramping up production requires additional chip orders, which threatens to significantly reduce profits.