Apple signs a giant chip contract with the American Broadcom

The iPhone maker continues to emancipate itself from its suppliers in China. This Wednesday, Apple announced that it had signed a “multi-billion dollar” multi-year contract with the American semiconductor specialist Broadcom . In particular, he will design and build components that are used to capture 5G. Production will take place at various US sites, including its plant in Fort Collins, Colorado.

“All of Apple’s products depend on technology developed and built here in the United States, and we will continue to invest in the American economy because we believe steadfastly in America’s future,” the boss said. of Apple, Tim Cook, quoted in a press release.

The company says the announcement is part of Apple’s 2021 commitments to invest $430 billion in the US economy over five years, from suppliers to spending on IT servers.

Covid and diplomatic tensions

The largest company in the world by market value is looking to diversify its activities outside of China , on which it is highly dependent for its supply chain. Strict policies to combat the Covid epidemic last year slowed production and the current diplomatic tensions with the United States, which controls exports of high-tech components, are not helping matters.

Tim Cook said Apple enjoys a “symbiotic” relationship with China during a March visit to Beijing to attend a state-sponsored event with leading figures from the business sector. But he also went to India in the spring to inaugurate one of the first two stores of the brand (Apple Store) in the most populous country in the world.

homemade chips

Last September, the Californian group declared that it would manufacture its last iPhone 14 in India , and Foxconn, the Taiwanese technology giant and main iPhone embler, has just bought a huge piece of land in the suburbs of Bangalore, India’s Silicon Valley. In March, Apple also announced that it planned to invest one billion euros over the next few years in its Munich location dedicated to the development of electronic chips.

This expansion into Germany is part of its strategy to increasingly develop the chips used in its smartphones, computers, tablets and other connected devices. A year ago, the Cupertino company presented the M2 chip, a new home-made electronic chip. At the end of 2020, it had launched a new range of laptops equipped with its own chip, the M1 instead of those of Intel, marking the beginning of a two-year transition .