- Apple plans to build Mac Mini computers in the United States
- Tim Cook made the announcement by presenting a behind-the-scenes video of manufacturing.
- AI could be one of the drivers here
The suddenly popular Mac mini will soon be manufactured in the United States. Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the move Tuesday in an article on X.
“As part of our $600 billion commitment, the Mac mini will be produced for the first time in the United States later this year! “” Cook wrote.
As part of our $600 billion commitment, the Mac mini will be produced for the first time in the United States later this year! We’re further accelerating our progress by producing more AI servers and opening a brand new Apple Advanced Manufacturing Center for hands-on training. pic.twitter.com/NO5DeZvPwPFebruary 24, 2026
The $600 billion investment he refers to represents the billions Cook promised US President Donald Trump last year that he would invest in US manufacturing efforts under a new “American Manufacturing Agenda” (AMP). He made the promise while presenting Trump with a gold plaque bearing the words “Made in America.”
This Mac mini news, however, could be far more valuable to U.S. consumers interested in purchasing one of Apple’s increasingly popular small desktop computers.
A mini piece of pie
The Mac mini only accounted for approximately 1% of Apple’s Mac sales in recent years, but the star of the mini is on the rise. According to recent reports, 2024 Mac mini M4s are out of stock (with Mac Studios). For what? Blame it on the AI. The small box computer is seen as the ideal solution for handling localized agentic AI tasks, and so it seems they are flying off the shelves.
Now, it’s unclear whether all these sales help the Mac mini get closer to, say, its best-selling MacBook Air or MacBook Pro counterparts. It seems unlikely, but U.S. production, due to start at a new factory in Houston, Texas, later this year, is expected to increase mini-production levels.
An entire production facility devoted to just one small slice of Apple’s Mac market doesn’t make much sense. However, AI’s appetite for hardware goes well beyond the mini. Apple will also build AI servers that should help support the development of private cloud computing and other company AI aspirations.
How Minimal These Operations Are
Tim Cook’s post offers few details on exactly when the facility will open and become operational, or how many Mac minis it will produce each quarter. It’s likely the factory will only build a fraction of all the Mac minis Apple produces for sale. Perhaps it will build all those sold in the United States, while other global manufacturing facilities serve the rest of the world.
However, we now know a little more about how Apple makes its products through its supply chain and with its manufacturing partners, thanks to a new video report from The Wall Street Journal.
The report focuses largely on Apple’s efforts to manufacture its Apple Silicon in the United States. Apple does not produce any chips; it relies on a series of partners to produce high-power silicon. However, it’s clear from the video that Apple’s fingerprints are all over the process.
Asked by The Wall Street Journal“Who is your most demanding customer?” » The director of Global Wafers quickly responded: “Apple.”
Apple’s deep involvement and size give it the power to push partners like these chip supply chain partners to move more operations to the United States.
iPhone next?
Apple’s promise to start making Mac minis in the United States this year does not signal a massive shift to making all Apple products in the United States. And when Apple executives were questioned by The Wall Street Journal regarding iPhone manufacturing in the United States, they gave a roundabout answer about future innovation, but gave no insight into future iPhone building operations.
Ultimately, the Mac mini’s new manufacturing home represents a small but perhaps important return to American manufacturing for Apple, which built the original Macintosh in Fremont. California.
There is no indication that Apple is considering a widespread return to U.S. manufacturing, but the push toward U.S.-based chip manufacturing operations is perhaps a stronger possibility due to the growing need for chips (and memory) in the United States.
For now, the majority of silicon and RAM are manufactured outside the United States. Once again, the global race for AI is creating demand, shortages, and the need in the United States for supply chains closer to home.
In a way, this Houston-based operation is also a proof of concept. If all goes well and Apple can also import some of Apple Silicon’s manufacturing into the United States, we could finally see more Apple products arrive without the support of imports and the potential burden of tariffs.
Will this mean cheaper Mac minis and possibly other products? Only time will tell.
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