Apple opens advanced manufacturing center in Houston, plans Mac Mini production this year

HOUSTON: Apple opened its new Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston on Thursday and confirmed that it will begin manufacturing the Mac mini at the site later this year.

According to Apple, the 20,000-square-foot facility operates as the company’s second manufacturing learning site in the United States. It is situated inside the existing Houston plant that builds and ships Apple’s advanced artificial intelligence servers. The center provides free educational programming and training sessions to small- and medium-sized businesses, granting them access to production tools, interactive labs, and equipment.

Tim Cook, CEO, Apple said on X, “Our Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston is now open & we will begin manufacturing Mac mini this year! Great to meet some of the first attendees with Secretary of Commerce @howardlutnick. They’ll learn the same advanced manufacturing techniques we use to build Apple products.”

Our Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston is now open & we will begin manufacturing Mac mini this year!

Great to meet some of the first attendees with Secretary of Commerce @howardlutnick. They’ll learn the same advanced manufacturing techniques we use to build Apple… pic.twitter.com/trMZeZCK76

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 13, 2026

United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick attended the opening alongside state and local representatives. “President Trump said we would bring advanced technology manufacturing back to America. Now the Mac mini will be made right here in Houston, Texas. Thank you, Tim and Apple, for your $600 billion commitment to America”, Lutnick said on X.

The curriculum at the centre encompasses classroom instruction on assembly principles, design considerations for printed circuit board assembly, and direct workshops using the representative factory floor. The initial cohort received instruction from Apple engineers on machine-learning-driven quality control, advanced automation, laser etching, and holographic tools. Training will subsequently expand to local college students.

In a separate statement, Cook mentioned, “In less than nine months, we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into this Houston facility. We stood up a factory, started production, and shipped the first advanced AI servers off the line”.

“Today, we’re thrilled to open our new Advanced Manufacturing Center, a place where businesses, workers, and students can learn the same innovative processes that we use to make Apple’s most groundbreaking products. And we’re pleased to begin Mac mini production later this year”, Cook said.

“We believe in American workers and American ingenuity, and we are moving at an incredible pace because we want to build more than great products. We want to build the future of American manufacturing”, Cook added.

Elected officials from Texas also addressed the facility’s opening. “Apple’s expansion in Houston underscores Texas as the epicenter of American industry and innovation. This new facility will deliver the skills Texans need to excel in advanced manufacturing. We thank Apple for its confidence in the Lone Star State”, said Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

United States Senator Ted Cruz noted the broader economic implications for the region. “This new facility will drive job creation and directly benefit our communities by giving small- and mid-sized businesses access to cutting-edge equipment, interactive labs, and operations expertise,” Cruz said. “This project isn’t just great news for Lone Star State businesses, however. It’s great news for Texas working families”. (ANI)