In one of his last interviews as Apple CEO Tim Cook points to the new Houston plant and accelerator as a triumph for US manufacturing and says that the company has plans to build factories in towns abandoned by previous major employers.
During his promotion of the new Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, Texas, Tim Cook has revealed that Apple does look at revitalizing communities that have lost their major factories.
"I've seen the communities when things go away," said Cook on CNBC, "and it's so important that there be a hub of economic activity in different places."
He grew up in a small community in Alabama, which was heavily reliant on shipbuilding, but has seen a decline.
"I do come from a very small town called Robertsdale," he said. "It's a few thousand people, great salt-of-the-earth people... I come from a blue-collar family."
"My dad was in the shipbuilding business," he continued, "and it's still around... it needs to be revitalized and hopefully that is happening."
Cook then pointed to the new Houston facility as being one example of Apple creating "so many jobs out in the community." He said that Apple's employing people directly then leads to communities growing because it means "more restaurants, more stores, more groceries" that are needed by those employees.
"It's a virtuous cycle to create a hub of activity," he continued, "and we're doing that across America in 79 different factories now."
Cook was pressed specifically on whether Apple looks for communities have been left behind by other companies leaving the town.
"There will definitely be different places that have those characteristics, yes," said Cook.
Cook did not offer any further details. However, in March 2026, Apple did announce that it was investing $400 million through 2030 with already-announced efforts specifically designed to bring more manufacturing back to the US. That was mostly business as usual, but there have been additional pledges since, bringing that number over $600 million.
The Houston plant that the Accelerator opened in, was announced and built during the Biden administration. It only started shipping AI servers in 2026. The Mac Pro used to be assembled in Texas, starting in about 2012 and ending only recently.
Apple's higher-volume and in-demand Mac mini will be assembled in Houston starting later in 2026.
As far as chip manufacture goes, that is in partnership with companies such as Bosch and TSMC in Camas, Washington. Similarly, Cirrus Logic and GlobalFoundries are working with Apple on semiconductor process technologies in Malta, New York.
