Apple wants chips made in a desert, Barron’s says

The next iPhone won’t be stamped Made in America, but pry open the casing in 2025 and one may see semiconductor chips that were etched into silicon in the Arizona desert, Daren Fonda writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. While it will be scorching outside, the Phoenix “fab” gearing up to produce Apple’s (AAPL) chips will be cool, clean, and cutting-edge. TSMC (TSM) is plowing $40B into the project, aiming to crank out 600,000 wafers a year. Apple CEO Tim Cook, at a “tool in” ceremony last year, said Apple would be “proud” to be the fab’s biggest customer, the author notes. Apple is looking for chip security, among many companies seeking to shore up supplies amid rising geopolitical tensions and fears over disruptions, the publication adds.