Intel looks to Apple as a potential new partner

The renowned chip manufacturer Intel is currently attracting significant interest following reports of potential collaborations with Apple that have boosted its stock performance. According to recent information, such a deal could be a crucial step for Intel, which is still grappling with challenges. Intel's stock subsequently rose by more than 6% following a report by Bloomberg that discussed support from the iPhone maker. At the time of writing, however, there were no comments from the two companies on this matter. In contrast, Apple saw a slight decline of less than 1%. Wall Street experts believe that Intel needs additional financial resources and foundry contracts from customers for its turnaround plan. Numerous investments, including from Nvidia and the U.S. government, are already advancing this process. Possible involvement from Apple would bolster this course. Despite recent gains, Intel's stock remains significantly below its previous highs, indicating that management still has considerable work to do. Driven by the recent surge, Intel's stock has gained a quarter of its value in the past week, following the announcement of a 5 billion dollar investment and a chip development partnership with AI chip market leader Nvidia. The news about Nvidia was received by investors as a vote of confidence from the world's most valuable company. Nevertheless, the stock remains far from its peak values, with most analysts monitored by Visible Alpha issuing a hold recommendation for the stock. Expectations are focused on new business deals for Intel's foundry, which manufactures chips for other companies and is crucial for maintaining U.S. government support – which has become a significant shareholder. A deal with Apple could strengthen Intel’s position, especially if it involves foundry capacities not included in the Nvidia agreement. This fuels speculation on whether a foundry agreement could follow later or if the absence of such an agreement highlights Intel's existing challenges in attracting customers. According to analysts from Bernstein, new partnerships with Intel could also be politically advantageous. This could also be of interest to Apple, which has recently shown signs of rapprochement with the Trump administration and last month secured tariff exemptions based on its investments in U.S. production.