The new center will train workers and businesses in advanced manufacturing while Apple expands production of AI servers and prepares to build Mac mini computers in Houston.
HOUSTON — Apple has opened a new Advanced Manufacturing Center in north Houston as the technology company continues expanding its U.S. manufacturing operations. The 20,000-square-foot center opened Aug. 13 and is located on the same Houston campus where Apple’s artificial intelligence servers are already being built.
Although some reports have described the new center as a manufacturing facility, Apple describes the Advanced Manufacturing Center mainly as a training and education site. The larger Houston campus includes the actual production facilities. Apple says the center will offer free training to small and medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs and, later, local college students.
Inside the center, participants will learn about advanced manufacturing, automation, quality control and the use of artificial intelligence in factories. Training will include classroom lessons and hands-on work with production equipment. Apple says participants will also learn how machine learning can be used to find manufacturing problems and improve product quality.
The opening is part of a much larger expansion in Houston. Apple began producing advanced AI servers there in 2025 and started shipping them months ahead of its original schedule. Those servers are used in Apple data centers across the United States and help operate Apple Intelligence and the company’s Private Cloud Compute system.
Apple also plans to begin making Mac mini computers in Houston later this year, which will mark the first time the Mac mini has been produced in the United States. The company announced in February that its Houston manufacturing footprint would double as part of the expansion. The larger operation is expected to total about 500,000 square feet and create thousands of construction and permanent jobs, according to Apple and the Houston Chronicle.
The Houston project is part of Apple’s broader promise to invest $600 billion in the United States over four years. Earlier announcements placed the commitment at $500 billion, but Apple increased the amount in 2025. The investment includes factories, computer chips, research, data centers and partnerships with U.S. suppliers.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the Houston operation in less than nine months. Cook said the company has already opened production lines, shipped AI servers and is preparing to begin Mac mini manufacturing. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the training center could help American workers gain skills needed for more advanced manufacturing jobs.
State and local leaders have welcomed the expansion. Gov. Greg Abbott said the project strengthens Texas’ role in advanced manufacturing. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the investment could help Houston become a larger technology and manufacturing center. Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said the center could also give small businesses and workers access to training that may otherwise be difficult to obtain.
Apple has also worked with Houston City College and Lone Star College to provide training opportunities for local students. The Houston program follows a similar Apple manufacturing academy in Detroit, which teaches businesses how to use artificial intelligence, automation and other modern factory technology.
The expansion represents a larger change in Apple’s supply chain, although most of the company’s major consumer products are still assembled outside the United States. Apple continues to manufacture most iPhones and iPads in Asia, but it has been moving more production of computer chips, servers and other components to the U.S. The Houston project shows that Texas is becoming an important part of that effort, especially as demand for artificial intelligence equipment continues to grow.
