MacBooks Could Have ‘Intel Inside’ Once Again, Sort Of

Apple is reportedly ready to let the cowed Intel back inside Macs, though this time it’ll be on Apple’s terms.  Whether this is a big deal or not depends on if you have any fond memories of when Apple relied on Intel’s x86 chips for Macs.

Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC is the main supplier of all of the chips that power Apple devices, and that’s not changing any time soon. However, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo wrote on X over the weekend that Intel finally inked a deal with Apple to start making chips based on its 18AP processing node. Kuo, who has a relatively solid track record for Apple supply chain news, said this would only relate to the “lowest-end M processor†built for the MacBook Air and iPad Pro.

Intel expected to begin shipping Apple’s lowest-end M processor as early as 2027

There have long been market rumors that Intel could become an advanced-node foundry supplier to Apple, but visibility around this had remained low. My latest industry surveys, however, indicate that…

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) November 28, 2025

The latest iPad Pros have an M5 chip, while the MacBook is still stuck with the M4, for now. The recent 14-inch MacBook Pro refresh also has an M5 chip.

In case you forgot, here’s a refresher: Intel had been making Mac chips since the transition from PowerPC to Intel’s x86 microarchitecture in 2006. The last time Intel made a Mac chip came before 2020, when Apple first introduced its own silicon, the M1.

To be clear: Apple would not be switching back to Intel-designed chips, according to Kuo’s report. Intel would only be the manufacturer of Apple silicon, the same way TSMC is.

Kuo said that Apple normally doesn’t order as many lowest-end M series chips, and this new deal will have “virtually no material impact on TSMC’s fundamentals.†Apple has an obvious reason to look for a U.S.-based chipmaker. The company is desperate to keep on the good side of the nativist sensibilities of President Donald Trump. Beyond offering Trump a 24-karat gold statue, Apple needs to at least appear like it is focused on making its products in the U.S., even if it’s in such a limited capacity.

The Intel-made Mac chips wouldn’t arrive until 2027 at the earliest, estimates Kuo. This would put it in line to be the supposed M7 chip. According to the reliable slate of leakers, Apple’s reportedly planning to drop a heap of new Macs in 2026. We may start the year off with 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max. However, the real exciting stuff may come later in the year with a more advanced MacBook Pro model with an OLED display and—for the first time on Macs—a touchscreen. Apple may also be working on a smaller, lower-end MacBook sporting Apple’s iPhone chip instead of the M-series, which could prove the most accessible way for consumers to buy into Apple’s laptop ecosystem.

In the face of these new styles of Mac, Intel’s new chipmaking deal may seem even less significant. However, for Intel, the deal would be a major victory in its long-term ambition to become a chip foundry for more than its first-party processors. Even if Intel and Apple announce a full deal, we can assume consumers won’t be able to tell the difference between old and new Macs, with or without an “Intel Inside†sticker on the laptop.