Apple today opened its new Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) in Houston. The center offers free training and educational sessions for small- and medium-sized businesses, giving them direct experience with state-of-the-art equipment and tools. The AMC is located within the same Houston facility that builds Apple's advanced AI servers and will begin manufacturing Mac mini this year.

At the center—the company's second U.S. manufacturing learning site—experts teach participants innovative processes used to make Apple products. During the kickoff event, Apple hosted U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Senator Ted Cruz, Mayor John Whitmire, and other officials. "In less than nine months, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into this Houston facility," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We want to build more than great products. We want to build the future of American manufacturing."

The 20,000-square-foot center includes interactive workshops and classroom sessions on advanced manufacturing principles. The AMC builds on the Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit, which has already helped nearly 1,000 companies. Since announcing a $600 billion commitment last year, Apple and its partners have invested in designing and producing custom silicon and advanced components in the U.S.