Intel Stock Pops 10% as Analyst Says Apple Might Let It Rejoin the Chip Kitchen

Intel shares jumped more than 10% on Friday after a new analyst note revived an idea most people had already filed under “unlikely”: Apple might be warming up to working with Intel again. The stock closed at $40.56 (its highest finish in about a year) and added another brick to what’s been one of the more surprising rebounds in the chip world this year. 

This is the same stock that was sitting near $20 at the start of 2025, when plenty of investors wondered whether Intel could keep up with anybody at all.

The move came after TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (whose Apple supply-chain calls tend to move markets) said his latest checks show Intel has a “much better” shot at becoming one of Apple’s chip suppliers. In plain English: Apple might be giving Intel a small opening.

Kuo says Apple is considering letting Intel manufacture the lowest-end version of its M-series processors, the ones used in products like the MacBook Air and iPad Pro. These aren’t Apple’s flashiest or fastest chips, but for Intel, just getting back in the room would matter. The company has spent years trying to convince the world that its foundry division can actually deliver on modern chipmaking after a long stretch of delays and mixed results.

It’s worth noting this wouldn’t bump TSMC out of its spot. Apple still leans heavily on the Taiwan-based company for its most advanced processors and is expected to keep doing so. But if Intel picks up even a small slice of Apple’s orders, it would mark a noticeable shift for a company that’s spent the past decade watching its rivals pull ahead.

The possible Apple deal is only part of Intel’s broader attempt to reset its future. Back in August, the company secured an $8.9 billion investment from the U.S. government to boost domestic chip production. Not long after, Nvidia said it would buy $5 billion worth of Intel hardware for a new AI infrastructure project. That announcement caught more than a few investors off guard.

Of course, the attempted turnaround hasn’t been smooth. Earlier this fall, TSMC sued a former senior executive, Wei-Jen Lo, accusing him of taking confidential information with him before joining Intel. Intel denied the claim, but the lawsuit added fresh tension to a rivalry that was already intense.

Even with the stock’s sharp climb, Intel still trails TSMC, AMD and Nvidia when it comes to the most advanced chipmaking technology. Closing that gap will take time, and a lot depends on whether major customers (Apple included) are actually willing to trust Intel again.

For now, though, Wall Street read Kuo’s note as a sign that something might finally be shifting in Intel’s favor. Even a small job from Apple would show that one of the biggest tech companies on the planet is at least open to seeing whether Intel can deliver.

At the time of publishing this article, Stocks.News holds positions in Intel and Apple as mentioned in the article.