- Apple plans to build some Mac Mini computers in the US
- Tim Cook made the announcement while showing some behind-the-scenes manufacturing videos
- AI can be one of the driving forces here
The suddenly hot Mac mini will soon be made in the USA. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the move on Tuesday in a post on X.
“As part of our $600B commitment, the Mac mini will be produced in the US for the first time later this year!” Cook wrote.
As part of our $600B commitment, the Mac mini will be produced in the US for the first time later this year! We’re accelerating our progress even further – producing more AI servers and opening a brand new Apple Advanced Manufacturing Center for hands-on training. pic.twitter.com/NO5DeZvPwP24 February 2026
The $600 billion investment he refers to is billions Cook promised US President Donald Trump last year that he would participate in US manufacturing efforts as part of a new “American Manufacturing Program” (AMP). He made the pledge while also presenting Trump with a golden plaque emblazoned with the words “Made in America.”
However, this Mac mini news may be far more valuable to US consumers interested in purchasing one of Apple’s increasingly popular small desktop computers.
A mini piece of the cake
The Mac mini has only accounted for approx 1% of Apple’s Mac sales in recent years, but the mini star is on the rise. According to the latest reports, 2024 M4 Mac minis have sold out (along with Mac Studios). Why? Blame the AI. The small box computer is considered a perfect fit for handling local agent AI tasks, and so they seem to be flying off the shelves.
Now, it’s unclear whether all those sales are helping the Mac mini get closer to, say, it’s best-selling MacBook Air or MacBook Pro counterparts. It seems unlikely, but US production set to begin at a new Houston, Texas, facility later this year should increase Mini production levels.
An entire production facility dedicated to just a thin slice of Apple’s Mac market doesn’t make much sense. However, AI’s appetite for hardware extends far beyond the mini. Apple will also build AI servers to help support the company’s growing Private Cloud Computer and other AI aspirations.
How mini these operations are
Tim Cook’s post provides scant details on exactly when the facility will open and become operational, or how many Mac minis it will produce each quarter. It is likely that the factory will only build a fraction of all the Mac minis Apple produces for sale. Perhaps it will build all those sold in the US, while other global production facilities serve the rest of the world.
But we now know a little more about how Apple builds products through its supply chain and with its manufacturing partners, thanks to a new video report from The Wall Street Journal.
The report focuses heavily on Apple’s efforts to have its Apple Silicon built in the United States. Apple does not produce chips; it relies on a number of partners to produce the heavy-duty silicon. However, it is clear from the video that Apple’s fingerprints are all over the process.
When asked by The Wall Street Journal“Who is the most demanding customer you have?” The Global Wafers executive quickly replied, “Apple.”
Apple’s deep commitment and its size give it the power to push partners like these chip supply chain partners to move more operations to the US.
iPhone next?
Apple’s promise to start building some Mac minis in the US this year doesn’t signal a massive shift to making all Apple products in the US. And when Apple’s executives were asked by The Wall Street Journal about making the iPhone in the US, they gave a verbose answer about future innovation, but offered no insight into future iPhone building operations.
Ultimately, the Mac mini’s new manufacturing home represents a small but perhaps important return to American manufacturing for Apple, which famously built the original Macintosh in Fremont. California.
There is no indication that Apple is planning a broad return to US manufacturing, but the push for US-based chip-making operations may be a stronger possibility given the growing need for chips (and memory) in the US.
For now, the majority of silicon and RAM is made outside the US. Once again, the global AI race is creating unprecedented demand, shortages and the need for, in the US, closer to home supply chains.
In a sense, this Houston-based operation is also a proof of concept. If all goes well, and Apple can also bring some Apple Silicon manufacturing to the US, we could finally see a wider range of Apple products arrive without the support of imports and the potential burden of tariffs.
Will that mean cheaper Mac minis and eventually other products? Only time will tell.
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