Apple unveiled a big “made in the USA” initiative, with plans to spend more than $500 billion on U.S. factories over the next four years. The company will upgrade operations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas, adding a new server facility in Houston. The move comes as U.S. international relations enter a period of flux. Apple’s plans include opening “a manufacturing academy” and accelerated investments in educating stateside workers in AI and silicon engineering. “We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said.

The spending will encompass “chips manufactured in the U.S. by Apple’s partners, and a new 250,000-square-foot factory in Houston” that will produce servers to support Apple’s artificial intelligence platform, Apple Intelligence, according to The Wall Street Journal, which says the site will open next year.

“Apple’s announcement comes as it and other tech giants are working to strengthen relations with President Trump, who is talking up tariffs and other policies that could have major effects on the industry,” WSJ writes.

CNBC notes the move comes as “the iPhone maker faces pressure from the Trump administration over where it chooses to manufacture its products,” and follows a meeting Cook had with President Trump last week. “Apple assembles most of its products in China.”

Bloomberg reports that meeting resulted in Apple halting plans to open two new facilities in Mexico.

Apple’s expansion plans translate to roughly 20,000 new hires over the next four years, “a continuation of its recent pace,” WSJ notes, detailing “164,000 full-time equivalent employees as of September” and growth averaging 5,400 new employees annually over the past five years.

“Many of the new workers it plans to hire will be focused on research and development, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine learning,” WSJ explains.

“The $500 billion commitment includes Apple’s work with thousands of suppliers across all 50 states, direct employment, Apple Intelligence infrastructure and data centers, corporate facilities, and Apple TV+ productions in 20 states,” Apple said in a newsroom post that describes the company as “one of the largest U.S. taxpayers, having paid more than $75 billion in U.S. taxes over the past five years, including $19 billion in 2024 alone.”

Apple’s competitors are not standing still. China’s Alibaba says over the next three years it will invest about $53 billion on data centers and AI infrastructure, “a major commitment that underscores the e-commerce pioneer’s ambitions of becoming a leader in artificial intelligence,” Bloomberg writes.

Alibaba’s spending surge “will surpass the company’s AI and cloud computing investment over the past decade,” notes The Wall Street Journal, adding that “Alibaba co-founder Joe Tsai earlier this month said its AI technology would be integrated into Apple’s iPhones for the Chinese market.”

Related:
Apple Joins Slew of Companies Touting More U.S. Jobs. How Much Is New?, The Wall Street Journal, 2/24/25
Tech Giants Have Pledged Over $1 Trillion in U.S. Investment, So Far, Bloomberg, 2/25/25