Apple has started shipping a new product manufactured in the United States, part of the company's multi-billion-dollar commitment to focusing its money in the country.
Advanced servers built for artificial intelligence started shipping out of a factory in Houston, Texas, according to a report from CNBC. Apple has committed to spending $600 billion (formerly $500 billion) in the United States on advanced manufacturing, suppliers, and other initiatives.
The company announced the plan to assemble the servers in the U.S. in February, and they will power the brand's Apple Intelligence and Private Cloud Compute services.
"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," Apple Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan said in a statement obtained by the outlet.
The servers were previously manufactured overseas, and Apple says the Houston factory is on track to create thousands of jobs.
Apple CEO Tim Cook told CNBC in September that the company is contributing to more U.S. manufacturing by doing business with U.S.-based semiconductor suppliers, which is enabling chips to be manufactured and packaged entirely within the U.S.
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"You can add a lot by making it global and then stitching together the end-to-end supply chain in semiconductors," Cook told the outlet at the time. "I can't stress how important this is and how much that will add to what we're doing."
Projects supporting AI have increased dramatically across the U.S. in recent years, with some pros and cons. AI can analyze data for sustainable solutions, like checking for methane emissions and calculating carbon footprints, according to the United Nations. However, AI also requires vast amounts of energy to run its data centers, along with water to cool them, which has had negative impacts on communities around the world.
As Apple invests in expanding its AI, it has also committed to investing in renewable energy sources like solar power and wind, as well as reducing its carbon output to become carbon neutral by 2030. The company's commitment to cleaner energy sources can help offset the negative impacts of expanding AI, hopefully finding a positive balance in the long run.
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