Apple in talks with Micron, Tata Group for sourcing chips worth $12 billion

Apple has started negotiations with Micron, the Tata Group and other chip manufacturers setting up plants in India for sourcing supplies worth $12 billion for the iPhones it produces in the country.

The negotiations apparently are significant as Apple’s requirement for semiconductors would touch $12 billion by 2026. By then, the tech giant would have shifted 26% of its global iPhone capacity to India. No single company would be able to rival Apple’s spend on microchips made in India.

Industries like defence, aviation and automotive are expected to be important buyers of microchips, though no other company is likely to match Apple’s spending on chips manufactured in India, according to industry sources.  

It is important to note that until three years ago, 100% of Apple’s iPhones and almost all other consumer products were manufactured in China but the company started shifting after the Indian government introduced the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

At present, Apple’s consumption of semiconductor is 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.