Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with close ties to the Apple supply chain, says Apple has used process design kit version 0.9.1 for Intel 18AP and that Intel could manufacture Apple M-series chips by 2027. Kuo reports Apple is waiting for Intel to release 18AP PDK version 1.0 or 1.1, scheduled for Q1 of 2026, and plans to begin production with the lowest-end M-series chip used in MacBook Air and iPad Pro devices once that PDK is available.
Intel is positioning its refined nodes, such as 18A-P and 18A-PT, and later 14A, as the versions it expects customers to adopt more widely than the original 18A. The 18A-P node augments the 18A process by incorporating RibbonFET and PowerVia technologies to improve performance and energy efficiency. Reported enhancements over vanilla 18A include newly designed low-threshold voltage components, optimized elements to reduce leakage, and refined ribbon width specifications, all aimed at improving performance-per-watt metrics.
The report notes Apple’s designs resemble Intel’s Lunar Lake architecture, which integrates compute and memory on a single package using Foveros advanced packaging. With performance, density, power, and other metrics reportedly tracking to plan, Intel could become a source of advanced node production for Apple in 2027, beginning with the lower-end M-series part and potentially expanding to other products if timelines and PDK releases proceed as scheduled.
