On Aug. 6, Apple announced its sweeping U.S. manufacturing initiative, a multibillion-dollar effort aimed at strengthening domestic supply chains, with several projects tied directly to North Texas.
As part of its American Manufacturing Program, Apple is expanding its supplier relationships in the region. The program is designed to grow Apple’s investment in U.S.-based production and incentivize international manufacturers to build critical components stateside.
North Texas In The Spotlight
In North Texas, Apple is tapping Sherman-based GlobalWafers America to produce silicon wafers — the foundational material used in semiconductors. These wafers will be used in various Apple technologies, from iPads to iPhones.
Apple also signed a new multiyear agreement with Coherent, another Sherman-based company, to produce VCEL lasers used in Apple’s Face ID feature. In addition to deepening that partnership, the company’s investment will help support the development of a new Coherent facility in Sherman.
Meanwhile, Dallas-based Texas Instruments is also part of Apple’s manufacturing roadmap, though specific details of that agreement were not disclosed.
Fort Worth Facility Gets A Boost
Beyond the chip supply chain, Apple is also investing in rare earth materials — another critical piece of its product ecosystem. In July, Apple announced a commitment to buy American-made rare earth magnets from MP Materials, a company with a major footprint in Fort Worth.
These magnets will be used in Apple devices globally, and the investment is helping MP Materials expand its Independence facility in Fort Worth. Apple and MP Materials also plan to build a rare earth recycling line at a facility in Mountain Pass, California — the first of its kind for Apple in the U.S.
A Push Toward U.S. Chip Independence
Apple’s chief operating officer Sabih Khan framed the American Manufacturing Program as part of the company’s broader effort to build a self-sustaining silicon supply chain within the U.S.
“We’re committed to supporting U.S. suppliers involved in every key stage of the chip-making process — from the earliest stages of research and development to final fabrication and packaging,” Khan said. “We want America to lead in this critical industry, and we’re expanding our efforts to grow a silicon manufacturing ecosystem that will benefit innovators across America.”
As Apple works to reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing, its latest moves show that North Texas is becoming a cornerstone of its domestic production strategy.
Tech Surges In North Texas
North Texas is emerging as a national hotspot for data centers and tech investment. FiberLight, a high-capacity fiber optic network provider, is relocating its corporate headquarters to Plano, aligning with the region’s growing prominence in AI infrastructure. Plano is also the future home of a $700 million, 425,000-square-foot data center for Lambda Inc., a cloud computing company backed by Nvidia, currently being built by Aligned Data Centers.
This regional momentum reflects broader moves by tech giants. Nvidia recently selected North Texas as a key site in its initiative to build AI supercomputers entirely in the U.S., working with partners to create a fully domestic supply chain from chip fabrication to system testing. In Sherman, Texas Instruments is investing $60 billion in semiconductor manufacturing. The funds will be used to build and ramp up operations across seven advanced semiconductor fabs in Texas and Utah, including major expansions in the North Texas cities of Sherman and Richardson.
North Texas is positioning itself as a critical player in the national innovation landscape — with growth that could redefine the region's economic standing for generations.
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