Intel’s shares at the New York Stock Exchange declined following the news and ended the day down 0.8% at $36.52. Apple rose 6.1% to $128.75 in the same bourse.
Intel’s designs and production technology have created processors that rivals and contract manufacturers haven’t been able to match. If companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Samsung Electronics Co. continue to narrow the gap with what Intel’s factories can make, Apple may have more scope to design its own parts.
ARM-based processors dominate the smartphone and tablet markets in part because of their power-efficiency.
Apple started exploring a shift away from Intel processors five years ago partly to improve laptop power efficiency.
The new chip may first become available in an upgraded version of the MacBook Pro laptop planned for later this year, the sources said.
Apple is also working on a faster version of the 12-inch MacBook and a new iMac with multi-functional USB-C connectivity for this year.
As usual, the American tech giant will not come out with an official statement to either refute or confirm the reports about the company developing its own chipset for its future Mac laptops and consumers would know more about it during the official product launch.