Informed sources: Intel is seeking Apple's investment in it

On September 25th, according to people familiar with the matter, Intel (INTC. O) has approached Apple about obtaining an investment from the latter, in a move to revive the troubled chipmaker, which is now partly owned by the US government. Apple and Intel also discussed how to cooperate more closely. They stressed that the talks are still in the early stages and there is no guarantee that an agreement will be reached. Intel has also been in contact with other companies about possible investments and partnerships, the people said. The potential deal follows last week's $5 billion investment by Nvidia, which plans to work with Intel on chips for personal computers and data centers. Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group also announced last month that it had invested $2 billion in Intel, seeking to expand further in the United States. A deal with Apple, a longtime customer of Intel but one that has turned to its own processors over the past five years, would further validate Intel's efforts to transform itself, although Apple is unlikely to return to using Intel processors in its devices.