Apple Set To Become Largest Consumer Of Made-In-India Semiconductor Chips To Make iPhones; Negotiates With Micron, Tata

Apple is set to become the largest consumer of semiconductor chips in India as it plans to source supplies worth $12 billion for manufacturing iPhones in the country.

The tech giant is already in negotiations with Micron, the Tata Group and other local chip fabricators and if it succeeds, the Indian firms will have a big business opportunity on their hands.

Notably, Apple would be requiring this quantity of semiconductor chips by 2026 and till then, the iPhone maker would have shifted 26 per cent of its global manufacturing capacity to India, as per industry experts.

The defence, aviation, and automotive sectors are expected to be significant buyers of microchips, though no single company is likely to match Apple’s spending on chips manufactured in India, according to industry sources.

Notably, until three years ago, Apple used to manufacture 100 per cent of its iPhones and almost all other consumer products in China but started shifting after the Indian government introduced Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

Its current semiconductor consumption stands at around $72 billion as its all high-end consumer products like iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple watches and AirPods use semiconductor chips.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is its major chip supplier. Industry analysts estimate that Apple accounts for more than 26 per cent of TSMC’s worldwide revenue, positioning it as the third-largest chip buyer globally.