Bloomberg: ‘Intel Is Seeking an Investment From Apple as Part of Its Comeback Bid’

Ryan Gould and Liana Baker, reporting for Bloomberg:

Intel Corp. has approached Apple Inc. about securing an investment in the ailing chipmaker, according to people familiar with the matter, part of efforts to bolster a business that’s now partially owned by the US government.

Apple and Intel also have discussed how to work more closely together, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private. The talks have been early-stage and may not lead to an agreement, the people said.

Juicy notion, for sure, but I really don’t see what Intel could offer Apple. There’s zero chance Apple is going to go back to x86 CPUs. Apple already bought Intel’s cellular modem business six years ago (and has used that purchase to produce the excellent C1 and C1X modems now used in the iPhone 16e and iPhone Air, respectively). Intel can’t come close to TSMC for fabricating Apple’s own chip designs.

So what’s left? Palm-rest stickers for laptops?

★ Thursday, 25 September 2025