Apple’s major order from Intel would be a blessing for Europe’s semiconductor industry
Apple’s new collaboration with Intel will also have a noticeable impact on the European semiconductor industry. In particular, the demand for special machines for the production of modern semiconductors would be significantly boosted.
Intel would need many more machines
According to various media reports, Apple and Intel are said to have reached a preliminary agreement. Accordingly, Intel could manufacture some of the chips developed by Apple in the future. So far, Apple has had most of its processors produced by the Taiwanese contract manufacturer TSMC. However, it is still unclear which products would specifically be affected and which manufacturing technologies Intel would use. According to one in Dutch media According to a Bank of America report, the potential business could reach a volume of around ten billion dollars. The Dutch companies ASML and BE Semiconductor Industries could particularly benefit from this. Both are considered important suppliers to the global chip industry.
ASML is the world’s only manufacturer of EUV lithography machines, which are essential for the production of cutting-edge semiconductors. According to analysts’ estimates, Intel could order machines worth 1.8 billion euros as part of the Apple deal. If the agreement also includes the production of iPhone chips, the order volume could even rise to up to 4.6 billion euros. In this case, Intel would have to purchase an additional 15 EUV systems in order to be able to provide the capacity to implement Apple orders.
Not just ASML
BE Semiconductor would also benefit from the collaboration. The company produces machines for hybrid bonding, a process for connecting and packaging chips. Intel has been aggressively promoting its packaging services for some time as industry leader TSMC’s capacities are heavily utilized due to high demand for AI chips. According to Bank of America calculations, Intel could order up to 182 hybrid bonding machines if the iPhone were integrated. Without iPhone production, however, the requirement would only be around 15 systems. For comparison: Intel had only planned around 80 such machines between 2024 and 2030.
