Trump says Intel, Apple chip deal boosts Ohio manufacturing plans

Donald Trump’s claim that Apple agreed to work with Intel on chips in the United States immediately raised a harder question for Ohio: does it actually change the pace of Intel’s massive but delayed manufacturing buildout, or simply put a political spotlight on it?

Intel’s Ohio One campus in New Albany and Licking County has been promoted as the largest single private-sector investment in Ohio history. The company first announced the project in January 2022 with an initial $20 billion commitment, then lifted that figure to $28 billion in March 2024. Intel has said the campus is expected to create about 3,000 Intel jobs and 7,000 construction jobs during the buildout, but the timetable has slipped sharply.

In February 2025, Intel said its first Ohio fab would not be completed until 2030, with operations starting in 2030 or 2031, pushing the state’s flagship chip project years beyond its original schedule. That makes any new Apple relationship significant less because it changes the near-term plant schedule, and more because it could strengthen Intel’s case that it can win major customers and justify the long-term investment.

Trump said on June 18 that Apple had agreed to work with Intel to design and build chips in the United States. Intel had already reached a preliminary deal to make some chips for Apple after more than a year of discussions, and Intel began production of its 18A-P node on June 16, a step that brought the company closer to a possible Apple contract. Even so, the most important details remained unclear, including the contract value, the number of chips involved and when deliveries would begin.

That uncertainty matters for Ohio. If work for Apple initially runs through other Intel sites, the immediate effect on New Albany could be limited. If the deal helps Intel secure financing, customer confidence and momentum for its foundry strategy, it could still improve the odds that Ohio One becomes a serious production hub later in the decade. For now, the announcement looks like a meaningful credibility boost for Intel, but only a potential one for Ohio’s factories.

Markets treated it as more than symbolism. Intel shares jumped about 10% after Trump’s announcement, and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index hit a record. Apple and Intel did not immediately comment, leaving the central industrial-policy question unanswered: whether this is the start of real U.S. semiconductor capacity gains, or another high-profile promise riding ahead of the hard work in Ohio.