Possible partnership with Apple sent Intel shares soaring

The news that Apple was in talks with Intel and Samsung Electronics for the production of some chips it will use in the future caused a remarkable rise in Intel shares. After the news was published, the company’s shares gained up to 13 percent in value during the day, and Intel’s market value reached a historical level. Company shares hit $110.48 during the session and closed the day at $108.18. Thus, Intel’s market value increased to approximately 543.7 billion dollars.

According to Bloomberg, Apple has begun to evaluate alternative production partners in order to reduce dependence on TSMC. It is stated that the company is conducting early stage negotiations with Intel and is also evaluating Samsung’s production facilities. Despite this, it was stated that Apple had some reservations about reliability and that there was a possibility that the negotiations would not result in any agreement. Still, the markets interpreted Apple’s consideration of Intel as a serious option as a positive development for the company.

From Intel’s perspective, the recent rise is not only due to Apple’s claims. The company’s shares fell to $18.96 last year. Despite this, Intel shares have increased by 174 percent since the beginning of 2026 and by 433 percent in the last year. The shares gained another 4.76 percent in the post-session transactions, showing that investor interest continued.

Intel boosts investor confidence during recovery

It is stated that the US government’s acquisition of approximately 10 percent of the company’s share in 2025 is also effective in Intel’s recent rise. After the agreement was announced in August 2025, expectations regarding the company’s financial outlook began to change. In addition, with the appointment of CEO Lip-Bu Tan, signs of recovery began to be seen in Intel’s operational performance.

Tan replaced David Zinsner and Michelle Johnston Holthaus, who took on the role of interim co-CEO following the departure of Pat Gelsinger in December 2024. Under the new management, the company again achieved revenue growth and announced financial results that exceeded Wall Street expectations. In addition, the fact that artificial intelligence infrastructure investments are not limited to the GPU side alone has increased the demand for Intel’s processor business line again.

On the other hand, a possible collaboration with Apple also has symbolic meaning for Intel. Years ago, Apple switched to its own Apple Silicon platform instead of Intel processors in Mac models. It was frequently brought up that delays and delivery problems in Intel’s road map were behind this decision. Despite this, there has been talk recently about the possibility of a rapprochement between the two companies.

Reuters reported last year that Intel was considering changes to its foundry strategy. It was stated that the company plans to allocate more resources to the new generation 14A production process in order to attract large customers such as Apple and Nvidia. It was stated that the 18A process, which Intel had highlighted in the previous period, could not generate the expected customer interest.

In addition, analysts Ming-Chi Kuo and Jeff Pu also suggested that Intel could produce some chips for Apple later this decade. According to Kuo, basic M series chips produced by Intel can be used in Mac and iPad models by 2027. Jeff Pu claimed that standard iPhone chips produced by Intel could be on the agenda in 2028.

Bloomberg had previously written that Intel was also considering the possibility of receiving investment from Apple. The news stated that the two companies were discussing various options to work more closely. In addition to all this, Intel’s effort to regain growth momentum makes the possible support of a major customer like Apple more critical for the company.

For now, there is no concrete agreement between Apple and Intel. Despite this, it seems that investors see even the possibility of Apple considering Intel as a production partner as positive for the future of the company. In particular, the recovery signals put forth by Intel management on the financial and operational side in the last year contribute to strengthening optimism in the markets.