One of the reasons why Apple was forced to strike a deal with Qualcomm, is due to 5G technology, an agreement that will allow you to use Qualcomm modems compatible with 5G in the generation of iPhone that the company will launch in 2020, at the earliest.
However, despite having reached an agreement, Apple does not want to depend exclusively on Qualcomm in the future and is trying to find solutions. According to The Information, Apple is in talks with Intel to buy the smartphone modem business division.
According to this medium, Intel is interested in getting rid of this division, but he wants to do it in parts. The part that interests Apple the most is in Germany, specifically in the company Infineon, a company that Intel bought in 2011 for 1.400 billion dollars and whose headquarters and all its operations are developed in Germany.
The agreement, without finally being produced, would involve send most Infineon engineers to Apple's Cupertino facility or other research centers that it has distributed both in the United States and abroad.
Intel announced through a statement, that they had abandoned the development of 5G technologyShortly after the agreement between Qualcomm and Apple was formalized, however, the company has at its disposal a large number of patents, which is really what Apple is most interested in.
Apple has signed several high-ranking executives from Intel in recent months, Stefan Wold being one of the most prominent. Last February, he signed the Intel's lead 5G modem development engineer.
If both companies finally reach an agreement, it is unlikely that in the short term we will see the results, so we will have to wait a few years for Apple to launch its own 5G communications modem or technology that surpasses it in performance.