Apple doesn't buy manufacturing companies, however if you can make something they want, they have definitely been known to pay for a dedicated manufacturing line up front.
Apple doesn't need a fab.
They bought P.A. Semi in 2008, which got them microprocessor design talent that lead to Apple Silicon.
> That would allow better vertical integration.
Apple already ships devices with CPUs, GPUs, NPU's (Neural Processing Unit), modem and wi-fi chipsets all designed by them. I'll also add the H2 audio processor in the AirPods.
It's hard to get more vertically integrated than that.
I always thought that while PA Semi brought some power efficiency tech to Apple, many didn't stick around. And that the Intrinsity team made also made significant contribution, having validated their tech in Samsung's Hummingbird core.
Apple did buy part of Intel in 2019. From what I was told, Intel failed to deliver a competitive 5G modem in time. Afterwards they sold the entire department to Apple.
Risky. Apple loves to vertically integrate and they could certainly give a cash infusion, but right now they can bounce between TSMC, Intel and Samsung and probably get sweetheart deals at each because of their scale / the positive press from serving Apple as a customer.
