Apple has opened a new manufacturing plant in Houston, marking another step in the company's push to build more of its advanced technology inside the United States. The US Commerce Secretary and Apple chief executive Tim Cook were both on hand for the grand opening of the facility.
Cook framed the plant as part of a broader commitment to American manufacturing. He described Apple as a proud American company and said it shares what he called the president's commitment to make more and more advanced technology, adding that the company sees a great deal of opportunity ahead.
The pace of the project was a central theme. According to Cook, the facility began as little more than an idea to bring more manufacturing to America, and in less than nine months Apple has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to turn that idea into a working plant.
That investment is already producing results. Cook said the company stood up the factory, started production and shipped the first advanced AI servers off the line, hardware aimed at powering the kind of computing behind modern artificial intelligence systems.
The site is also set to expand into consumer products. Apple said Mac mini production is due to begin at the plant later this year, and Cook described it as the most powerful Mac mini the company has ever built, signaling that the Houston operation will handle more than server hardware.
During the event, Cook thanked a series of Texas officials for their support. He credited Governor Abbott and his team for helping keep Texas a center for innovation, singled out Senator Cruz for a partnership that included work on online safety legislation intended to protect children, and offered birthday wishes to Houston Mayor Whitmire.
Cook closed on a forward looking note, saying the company has no intention of slowing down and pointing to what he called American workers and American ingenuity. He said Apple had been moving at an incredible pace, and that the momentum reflected the urgency of what the company hopes to accomplish at the Houston plant.