In July 2023, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook, Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) CEO Lisa Su entered a secure briefing room in Silicon Valley where Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines warned that China’s military spending could mean a move on Taiwan as early as 2027.
Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) CEO Cristiano Amon joined the classified session by video, according to a New York Times investigation piece published Monday.
Following the briefing, Cook told officials he slept “with one eye open,” per the NYT report — yet the companies still did not place significant new chip orders from U.S. factories, according to the investigation.
Appel, Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm and CIA did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.
The Economic Catastrophe Scenario
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent framed the stakes bluntly at Davos last month: “If that island were blockaded, that capacity were destroyed, it would be an economic apocalypse.”
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM) currently produces roughly 90% of the world’s high-end chips, according to NYT report.
Recent Pivot to US Manufacturing
On Tuesday, the iPhone maker said it will begin producing the Mac mini at a new Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, Texas.
“We began shipping advanced AI servers from Houston ahead of schedule, and we’re excited to accelerate that work even further,” Cook said. “We’re proud to significantly expand our footprint in Houston with the production of Mac mini starting later this year.”
Since announcing its $600 billion U.S. investment commitment, Apple says it has already surpassed its sourcing goal, pulling in over 20 billion U.S.-made chips from 24 factories across 12 states — including through partners TSMC, Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ:TXN).
Meanwhile, Nvidia has committed $5 billion to Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC).
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