Apple to invest $500 billion in US over four years, hire 20,000 staff

Apple said on Monday it will spend more
than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and hire
20,000 staff, with President Donald Trump quickly taking credit for the
announcement.

The Silicon Valley-based giant said it was its “largest-ever spend
commitment,” which comes as tech companies battle for dominance in developing
artificial intelligence technology.

Trump, who has pushed US companies to shift manufacturing home, claimed
that his administration was to thank for the investment.

“The reason, faith in what we are doing, without which, they wouldn’t be
investing ten cents. Thank you Tim Cook and Apple!!!” Trump wrote in capital
letters on his Truth Social platform.

Apple said its 20,000 new hires would mostly focus on research and
development, silicon engineering, software development, and AI and machine
learning.

It announced plans to open a new manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas,
in 2026 that will assemble servers that “play a key role in powering Apple
Intelligence” — part of the company’s AI products — and would create
“thousands of jobs.”

An Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit is also on the cards to “help
companies transition to advanced manufacturing.”

“We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to
build on our long-standing US investments with this $500 billion commitment to
our country’s future,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in a statement.

Apple’s suppliers already manufacture silicon in 24 factories across 12
states, including Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, and Utah.

Boosting spending

In January, Cook hailed Apple’s “best quarter ever” as it recorded $36.3
billion in quarterly profits.

The Americas remained Apple’s largest market with $56.2 billion in revenue,
while Europe showed strong growth at $33.9 billion.

The company hopes that customers are attracted to buy the latest iPhone
models by its new AI powers.

Along with Apple, other tech giants such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon
are convinced that generative AI’s powers are the next chapter of computing
and are hiking spending to avoid being left behind.

Monday’s announcement comes days after Trump said that Apple plans to
invest “hundreds of billions of dollars” in the United States as he trumpeted
the success of his tariff plan in boosting the American economy.

Trump suggested that more companies also planned greater investment in the
United States, without giving any names.

The Republican president has wielded tariffs — customs duties on imported
goods — as a trade weapon, imposing 10 percent levies on goods from China and
threatening them on products including semiconductors, cars and
pharmaceuticals.

His administration argues that the higher costs will encourage companies to
manufacture in the United States instead. Critics say that tariffs could raise
prices for consumers.(AFP)