Intel surged to a record high after Bloomberg revealed Apple was eyeing Intel and Samsung as potential chip‑manufacturing partners. The story rattled markets, lifting the shares to $110.48 before closing at $108.18 and pushing the company’s market cap to $543.71 billion. The rally underscored investors’ appetite for a revived Intel‑Apple relationship since last quarter in 2025.

Intel’s dramatic rebound traces back to a 2025 U.S. government deal that secured a roughly 10% stake, injecting confidence. Under CEO Pat Tan, the firm flipped from a $18.96 trough to a 174% rise this year, driven by AI‑related CPU demand and a renewed focus on its 14A process over older 18A nodes.

If Apple follows through, it would signal a strategic shift away from TSMC and could reshape the competitive ordering of silicon foundries. For consumers, a return to Intel silicon might mean faster, more power‑efficient Macs and iPads, while the broader supply chain would feel the ripple of this historic partnership in the coming years ahead.