Apple is pushing ahead on activity at its new manufacturing facility in Houston.
The tech giant announced this week that it is now shipping artificial intelligence servers built in its Houston factory.
Apple COO Sabih Khan said in a statement that Apple is “thrilled” to be shipping its advanced servers from the Houston facility, and noted that the servers will be installed in Apple data centers across the country.
“Our teams have done an incredible job accelerating work to get the new Houston factory up and running ahead of schedule and we plan to continue expanding the facility to increase production next year,” Khan said.
The facility is expected to create thousands of jobs and is part of Apple’s now $600 billion commitment for investment in the U.S. over the next four years. President Donald Trump praised Apple upon its August announcement that the commitment had been boosted from $500 to $600 billion, hailing it as “among the greatest investment booms in our nation’s history.”
But Trump still has his sights set on Apple’s flagship product, sharing hope that the company will eventually make iPhones in the U.S. For now, production for about 80 percent of the iPhones bought in the U.S. happens in China.
Meanwhile, Apple is emphasizing that the servers, which were previously manufactured outside the U.S., are now “American-made” and play a key role in powering Apple Intelligence. The first wave of its software features launched last year, and Apple has since followed it up by introducing new tools in September.
Those include live translations and fitness insights, along with playful visual updates with so-called “Genmoji” and “Image Playground.” Apple notes that the servers are also the foundation of Private Cloud Compute, a system designed for private AI processing.
As for the Houston facility, Apple says it is partnering with several local contractors to build and expand its capacity. The company also says it has been working closely with Houston City College to recruit and hire local talent.