On Tuesday, September 16th, Apple CEO Tim Cook expressed optimism about bringing more manufacturing back to the United States during an interview with CNBC. He pointed out that his company is making progress on several projects.
Cook stated, “Since we announced a $500 billion investment earlier this year, we have been working hard to find more ways to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. It’s not really bringing it back, because manufacturing was not originally in the U.S., right? We have come up with some things we can do, and more practices.”
Cook was interviewed at the Corning glass factory in Kentucky. Apple has committed to investing $2.5 billion in the plant to produce the glass needed for all iPhones and Apple Watches. This investment is a small part of Apple’s $600 billion commitment to domestic manufacturing in the U.S. over the next four years.
In February of this year, Apple announced a $500 billion investment in the U.S., including building a new artificial intelligence server factory in Texas. In August, Apple announced an additional $100 billion investment for American companies and suppliers.
Cook expressed satisfaction with Apple’s efforts to create an end-to-end chip supply chain and expressed the desire to expand chip production.
He mentioned that the U.S. chip supply chain is expected to produce 19 billion chips for Apple this year. He also mentioned investments in TSMC, believing that TSMC will become the most advanced chip manufacturer in the U.S. He stated that Apple has reached a deal with U.S. rare earth producer MP Materials for rare earth magnets.
“Many advanced manufacturing industries can operate in the U.S. and can operate competitively in the U.S.,” Cook stated.
He mentioned that Apple is in “close communication” with the Trump administration regarding investment progress. Last month, Trump announced a 100% tariff on imported semiconductors and chips, but companies like Apple that “produce in the U.S.” are exempt.
Speaking about the Trump administration, Cook said, “Our relationship is very good, and the interaction is very positive. It is commendable that they are working on simplifying regulations, trying to reduce the regulatory procedures needed for projects such as building new factories and data centers.”