Apple (AAPL+0.03%) said Monday that it will invest $500 billion in the United States over the next four years, with a focus on supporting domestic manufacturing and artificial intelligence.
The Cupertino, California-based technology giant plans to open a 250,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in 2026 that will produce servers, hire thousands of workers across a variety of fields, and launch a new education initiative. Apple also said it was committed to expanding its data centers across the U.S., which are vital for its ambitious AI plans.
“We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “And we’ll keep working with people and companies across this country to help write an extraordinary new chapter in the history of American innovation.”
Apple said its $500 billion commitment is comprised of its work with domestic suppliers, infrastructure for Apple Intelligence, corporate facilities, and work for its Apple TV+ streaming network across 20 states. It also includes the 164,000 full-time workers it directly employs.
The company plans to double its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund to $10 billion. That includes a multibillion-dollar investment in advanced silicon manufacturing in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSM-1.21%) Fab 21 plant in Arizona, which Apple says began making its chips in January.
Some 20,000 people are expected to be hired by Apple over the next four years across its research and development, silicon engineering, and AI-focused teams. The company said it will also open the “Apple Manufacturing Academy” in Detroit, offering free in-person and online classes to train workers on AI and manufacturing strategies.
Although Apple’s announcement makes no mention of President Donald Trump, the investments will occur over the length of his second term in office. Trump on Truth Social, his social media platform, wrote that Apple “wouldn’t be investing 10 cents” without “faith in what we are doing.”
“Thank you Tim Cook and Apple,” he added with three exclamation points.
Apple’s planned $500 billion investment is the second major tech-focused commitment announced since Trump took office. Companies including SoftBank (SFTBY-2.24%), Oracle (ORCL-4.39%), OpenAI, and Microsoft (MSFT-1.72%) are working together on a $500 billion initiative named Stargate to build new AI infrastructure for OpenAI.
Although Stargate was announced at the White House and Apple’s was not, the move is a clear strategic move to play into Trump’s themes of investing in domestic work, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives.
Cook enjoyed a relatively stable relationship with Trump during his first term, occasionally winning the president’s praise. Last month, he donated to and attended Trump’s inauguration, standing alongside several other major tech leaders like Tesla’s (TSLA-5.05%) Elon Musk and Google’s (GOOGL-2.61%) Sundar Pichai.
In 2019, after Cook convinced Trump to give Apple an exemption from a series of tariffs affecting Chinese imports, Cook gifted the then-president with one of the first Mac Pros built at its new U.S. facility. The company is now facing a potential investigation from China’s antitrust watchdog as part of Beijing’s response to Trump’s tariffs that went into effect earlier in February.
“Cook continues to prove that he is 10% politician and 90% CEO,” Ives wrote, noting that he will use his global connections to try and ensure “smoother waters” for Apple as Trump pursues his trade war.
The post Apple will invest $500 billion in the U.S. with a focus on AI appeared first on Quartz.
