--- title: "What does it mean for both companies if Apple becomes an Intel customer again?" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/285767219.md" description: "Apple is in preliminary talks with Intel to consider reintroducing Intel chips in some Mac products. This marks the first time Apple has considered returning to Intel since it switched to self-developed chips in 2020. Apple has shown interest in Intel's latest Core Ultra 9 processor, which may be tested in high-end Mac products. This move aims to meet the demands of professional users for memory and multi-GPU support. Market reactions indicate that Apple's stock price rose by about 0.5%, while Intel's stock price increased by about 2%. Analysts believe the symbolic significance of this deal outweighs its actual financial impact" datetime: "2026-05-08T19:40:38.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/285767219.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/285767219.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/285767219.md) --- # What does it mean for both companies if Apple becomes an Intel customer again? Bloomberg reported on Friday that Apple is in preliminary talks with Intel to consider reintroducing Intel chips in some Mac product lines. This would mark Apple's first consideration of returning to the Intel platform since it began transitioning to self-developed chips in 2020. Background of the Negotiation According to reports, Apple has shown interest in Intel's latest generation Core Ultra 9 processors, which have significantly improved single-core performance and multi-core efficiency compared to previous generations. Apple may first test Intel's solutions in product lines such as the Mac Pro or high-end MacBook Pro, coexisting with its self-developed M series chips. The negotiations are still in the early stages, and Apple has not made a final decision. Apple's Motivation Although Apple's self-developed M series chips have achieved success in performance and efficiency, some users in the high-end desktop and professional application fields still have higher demands for memory capacity and multi-GPU support. Intel's Xeon workstation platform can support up to 2TB of memory, while Apple's M series currently supports a maximum of only 192GB. Reintroducing Intel options could meet the needs of professional users and help Apple gain leverage in negotiations with Qualcomm regarding baseband chips. Intel's Calculation For Intel, winning back Apple's orders would be an important symbolic victory, marking a return of its chip design and manufacturing capabilities. However, analysts point out that the symbolic significance of Apple's orders outweighs the actual financial impact. Mac's annual shipment volume is about 20 million units, far less than the iPhone's 200 million units, and Apple is unlikely to revert its entire product line back to Intel. If a deal is reached, it is expected to use TSMC's 3-nanometer process, and Intel's own manufacturing division may not directly benefit. Market Reaction Following the news, Apple's stock price rose about 0.5% in early trading on Friday, while Intel's stock price increased by about 2%. Year-to-date, Intel has fallen about 25%, significantly underperforming the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index. Bernstein analysts maintain a "underperform" rating on Intel, believing that the incremental profits from this deal are limited and insufficient to change Intel's structural challenges. Rosenblatt Securities, on the other hand, maintains a "buy" rating, believing that this move validates the competitiveness of Intel's products. Analysts point out that regardless of the final outcome, the negotiation itself indicates that Intel has made progress over the past two years. From a market diversification perspective, having chip options is better than having none, and the initiative remains in Apple's hands. Both companies declined to comment on this matter. 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