As the phrase “Designed by Apple in California. Assembled in China” clearly shows us, although the design of devices and components is done in Apple Park, manufacturing is carried out by factories in China. A situation that Tim Cook wants to start turning gradually, starting with the chips.
The Apple boss clarified his intentions during his visit to Europe. Some intentions that we know now, thanks to Bloomberg, that need to start coming to fruition make a difference in the organization of suppliers who manufacture the components of our devices. A movement to gradually reduce its dependence on China and which will begin in 2024.
The decision is made
China’s position as the factory of the world is clear. With its enormous capacity and diverse facilities, it captured much of the consumer electronics manufacturing that we enjoy today. The advantages, however, come with various increasingly obvious drawbacks. On the one hand, there’s the issue of centralization, because something as simple as a prolonged power outage, flood, or some other natural disaster puts manufacturing globally in check.
On the other hand, there is the question of how the Chinese government deals with certain issues of fundamental importance. Something that many manufacturers do not like, but which They also have no viable alternatives.. We’ve known for years about Apple’s intentions to diversify its supply chain and manufacturing, but those moves are taking precisely years.
Now, Tim Cook has offered us some clear statements about the company’s intentions towards chipmaking. A crucial component in all devices that it will soon come from the United States and will be joined later by Europe. Speaking in Germany with Apple employees during his recent visit to Europe, Tim Cook said:
“We have already made the decision to buy a plant in Arizona, and this plant in Arizona is starting in 2024, so we have about two years for that one, maybe a little less. And in Europe, I’m sure we will have Europe as these plans become more apparent.
No other details of those plans were released at the reunion, which included Eddy Que and Deirdre O’Brien, though we can draw our own conclusions. TSMC is building a factory near Phoenixa factory that has been under construction since 2020 and will begin mass manufacturing 4 nanometer chips in 2024. We also learned recently that TSMC will be opening a second factory in Arizona to manufacture 3 nanometer chips.
For the moment there are a few years left to learn more about Apple’s plans and also which manufacturing centers will take over the European part, but what is clear is that Apple has already made the decision. Sooner or later we will see changes in one of the most important parts of our devices.
