Intel (INTC) stock soared 10% on Thursday after President Trump posted on Truth Social that Apple (AAPL) has agreed to work with the chipmaker to build its processors.
Intel had no comment on the post.
Trump’s statement follows an earlier report from The Wall Street Journal that the two companies had reached a preliminary agreement under which Intel would manufacture chips for the iPhone maker.
In a note to investors, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon speculated that the tie-up will likely revolve around “low-volume, less important parts,” adding, “Intel will of course have to prove their mettle before being granted more substantial wins, but the first step is always the hardest, so at least they appear to be taking that step.”
Apple previously used Intel’s chips in its laptops and desktops, but abandoned Intel to design its own custom chips.
The news comes after The Information reported that Intel will build 3 million Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) for Google and that Nvidia is exploring using Intel to fabricate its own processors.
Earlier this week, Intel announced that its latest 18A-P processor node has entered initial production, a step toward full volume production.
The various moves are a part of Intel’s broader turnaround effort that began under previous CEO Pat Gelsinger. Current CEO Lip-Bu Tan has continued that work, cutting costs and driving the company’s foundry arm to reach deals to produce chips for third-party customers.
That push has received a timely boost from the AI boom, TSMC’s (TSM) ability to provide enough capacity for all of its customers. The world’s largest chip manufacturer, TSMC builds processors for the likes of Nvidia (NVDA), Apple, AMD (AMD), and a host of other companies.
But the massive demand for chips has forced so-called fabless chip companies, those without their own manufacturing capabilities, to explore other options such as Intel.
The chip giant is also riding a strong tailwind from the increased demand for central processing units (CPUs) related to the global AI buildout. CPUs have become increasingly important as AI firms lean into AI agents, or digital helpers that can perform tasks on a users’ behalf.
Graphics processing units (GPUs) are still central to AI data centers, but as agents begin running more operations across networks, they’ll rely on CPUs to complete users’ requests.
That’s helped send Intel’s stock price skyrocketing more than 250% since the start of the year and 500% over the last 12 months.
Email Daniel Howley at dhowley@yahoofinance.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.