Apple and Intel have drawn attention after reports suggested that Apple was testing Intel’s newest chip process for future products. Some investors and industry watchers even believed Apple could move parts of its iPhone and Mac chip production away from TSMC. Those hopes now look weak, mainly because Intel’s most advanced chip nodes create serious heat problems that do not suit mobile devices like the iPhone.
DigiTimes reported on Apple’s talks with Intel, which helped fuel the speculation.
They said Apple is looking at Intel’s 18A P process for its lowest end M series chips that are planned for 2027. They also said Apple may use the same process for non Pro iPhone chips in 2028. GF Securities added that Apple’s custom ASIC, also planned for 2028, is set to use Intel’s EMIB packaging.
Intel has already signed an NDA with Apple and sent 18A P design kits so Apple can test the technology. Intel’s 18A P is also its first node to support Foveros Direct 3D hybrid bonding, which allows Apple to stack chiplets on top of each other.
Why Intel’s newest nodes face a wall
Industry insiders on the SemiWiki forum have pushed back on the idea of Intel making iPhone chips. They pointed to Intel’s heavy use of Backside Power Delivery, also known as BSPD, on its 18A and 14A nodes. Intel calls its version PowerVia. TSMC, in contrast, offers some nodes with BSPD and others without it, which gives chip designers more options.
BSPD does improve power delivery and can boost performance, but it also makes chips run hotter. That heat becomes a serious problem for phones, which rely on air cooling and tight thermal limits.
IanD explained the issue in a SemiWiki thread.
“When we looked into this the heatsink needed to be kept around 20C cooler with BSPD for the same die temperature in hotspots (because vertical heat spreading is bad but lateral is even worse now there’s no thick silicon substrate), and that’s simply impossible in many use cases which rely on air cooling or have a maximum allowable case temperature, including ours… :-(“
Because of this, Jukan summed up the mood on X in blunt terms.
Intel may still have a shot at low end M series chips, but when it comes to iPhones, heat stands in the way.
