Published February 25, 2025

How Arizona fits into Apple's $500 billion AI growth spurt

Written by John Sposato

How Arizona fits into Apple's $500 billion AI growth spurt

By Paul Thompson

Arizona is expected to get a significant slice of Apple Inc.'s $500 billion U.S. investment.

Apple (Nasdaq: APPL) sent shockwaves through the tech world Feb. 24 when it announced the massive investment — the largest such capital outlay in the tech behemoth's history. The plan calls for Apple to double the size of its U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund from $5 billion to $10 billion, which "includes a multibillion-dollar commitment from Apple to produce advanced silicon in TSMC's Fab 21 facility in Arizona," according to the Feb. 24 announcement.

The tech giant described itself as "the largest customer at this state-of-the-art facility" in north Phoenix, where mass production of Apple chips began last month. Apple committed to sourcing chips from the Arizona TSMC factory back in 2022.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE: TSM) reported record profits in the fourth quarter of 2024, on revenue of $26.88 billion. Operations are expected to begin in 2028 at TSMC's second Phoenix factory, which will produce 2- and 3-nanometer process technologies for Apple, as well as AMD, Nvidia and Qualcomm.

Apple expects to hire 20,000 new employees over the next four years as part of its U.S. growth spurt. Thousands of those jobs are expected to be located in Houston, where the company is planning a 250,000-square-foot server manufacturing facility that will support Apple Intelligence, its personal intelligence system.

But Arizona is also expected to be a focal point for Apple's growth — it's planning to "continue expanding data center capacity" in Arizona and other states including North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon and Nevada, according to the announcement. The company already operates a data center in Mesa, which it opened in 2018.

An Apple spokesperson acknowledged the company's plans to expand capacity at its Mesa data center, but did not share whether that represents a physical or technological expansion. The company declined to disclose an exact amount for its investment at TSMC's chip factory in north Phoenix.

Apple commitment amid wider Arizona tech investment

Steve Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council., said that Apple's commitment could have a profound impact on the state's economic landscape.

"This move is poised to bolster the high-tech sector in Arizona, particularly in areas like silicon engineering and advanced manufacturing, which are already strengths of our state’s technology ecosystem," he said.

Zylstra noted the company's decision to double down on its investment at TSMC's rising Arizona fab is "particularly notable," as it could "catalyze further growth in high-skilled manufacturing jobs and attract a slew of ancillary businesses, from suppliers to startups, that want to be near such an advanced operation."

"This investment isn’t just about the immediate economic boost or job creation; it’s about setting a long-term foundation for growth and innovation in Arizona," added Zylstra.

Apple's financial commitment to Arizona adds to the ecosystem already in development surrounding TSMC's sprawling north Phoenix manufacturing complex.

Mack Real Estate Group is already planning a $7 billion, 2,300-acre mixed-use development surrounding the campus dubbed Halo Vista, which could become one of the largest employment corridors in Arizona with thousands of jobs. At full buildout Halo Vista is estimated to feature 30 million square feet of commercial building space — including huge manufacturing and engineering hubs — along with 9,000 residential units.

TSMC and Halo Vista are expected to become significant draws for semiconductor suppliers. Taiwan-based semiconductor chemical supplier Sunlit Chemical in October 2024 celebrated the grand opening of its new manufacturing facility in north Phoenix, which is expected to span 900,000 square feet across 27 acres at full buildout.