Earlier this year, Apple pledged a $500 billion investment in the United States over the next four years. Now, the company is further expanding that pledge with a $500 million plan to “launch an all-new recycling facility for processing recycled rare earth elements.”
With this investment, Apple will work with MP Materials and commit to buying American-made rare earth magnets developed in Fort Worth, Texas. The two companies will build out MP Materials’ “state-of-the-art Texas factory” with a “series of neodymium magnet manufacturing lines specifically designed for Apple products.”
Additionally, MP Materials and Apple will establish a “cutting-edge rare earth recycling line” in Mountain Pass, California, and “develop novel magnet materials and innovative processing technologies to enhance magnet performance.”
The investment and increased production will “support dozens of new jobs in advanced manufacturing and R&D.”
Apple says:
Today Apple announced a new commitment of $500 million with MP Materials, the only fully integrated rare earth producer in the United States. With this multiyear deal, Apple is committed to buying American-made rare earth magnets developed at MP Materials’ flagship Independence facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The two companies will also work together to establish a cutting-edge rare earth recycling line in Mountain Pass, California, and develop novel magnet materials and innovative processing technologies to enhance magnet performance. The commitment is part of Apple’s pledge to spend more than $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, and builds on the company’s long history of investment in American innovation, advanced manufacturing, and next-generation recycling technologies.
Here’s Apple CEO Tim Cook, touting the future of manufacturing in the United States:
“American innovation drives everything we do at Apple, and we’re proud to deepen our investment in the U.S. economy. Rare earth materials are essential for making advanced technology, and this partnership will help strengthen the supply of these vital materials here in the United States. We couldn’t be more excited about the future of American manufacturing, and we will continue to invest in the ingenuity, creativity, and innovative spirit of the American people.”
The announcement comes as Apple continues to face pressure from the Trump administration to manufacture iPhones in the United States. This announcement, of course, makes no mention of manufacturing iPhones in the United States, something that is widely agreed upon to be impossible.
Apple’s initial $500 billion investment focused on R&D in the U.S., chip production in Arizona, AI server manufacturing in Houston, Apple TV+ production, and an academy in Michigan.
More details in Apple’s full press release.
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