Apple deal with Broadcom a boost for Fort Collins

FORT COLLINS – A new multiyear, multibillion-dollar agreement between two corporate giants is likely to bring a major economic boost to Northern Colorado’s economy.

Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) on Tuesday announced a deal with chipmaker Broadcom Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGO), which commits Broadcom to develop 5G radio frequency components and cutting-edge wireless connectivity components. Among those components are film bulk acoustic resonator (FBAR) filters, which help reduce interference on cell phones and are being produced at several sites including Broadcom’s expanded facility at Harmony and Ziegler roads in Fort Collins.

“We are thrilled with the announcement,” said Ann Hutchison, president and CEO of the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce. ”We’ve had such tremendous innovation coming out of Broadcom in Northern Colorado, and this announcement reinforces that we have a powerhouse company in our backyard doing the right things in the right way.”

Hutchison said Broadcom’s 185,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Fort Collins “positions them very well to take on this new opportunity,” and that because of the facility’s state-recognized gold-level environmental status, “I’m guessing that’s another key reason this partnership is coming about.”

The Fort Collins facility had been known as Avago, reflected in its market symbol, but changed its name when it merged with Broadcom in 2015.

Neither Apple nor Broadcom disclosed the size of the deal, but Broadcom officials did say the new pacts require it to allocate “sufficient manufacturing capacity and other resources” to Apple to make the products.

“We’re thrilled to make commitments that harness the ingenuity, creativity and innovative spirit of American manufacturing,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “All of Apple’s products depend on technology engineered and built here in the United States, and we’ll continue to deepen our investments in the U.S. economy because we have an unshakable belief in America’s future.”

Apple already helps support more than 1,100 jobs in Broadcom’s Fort Collins FBAR filter manufacturing facility, and the partnership will enable Broadcom to continue to invest in critical automation projects and upskilling with technicians and engineers. Inquiries about how many extra jobs would be added in Fort Collins, if any, were not returned in time for BizWest’s deadline.

Across the country, Apple supports more than 2.7 million jobs through direct employment, developer jobs in the thriving iOS app economy, and spending with more than 9,000 U.S. suppliers and manufacturers of all sizes in all 50 states across dozens of sectors.

5G technology is shaping the future of next-generation consumer electronics — and Apple is spending tens of billions of dollars to develop this field in the United States, part of a commitment Apple made in 2021 to invest $430 billion in the U.S. economy over five years.

According to an Apple news release, “following the introduction of 5G technology to Apple devices in 2020, it has helped expand and expedite 5G adoption across the country, driving innovation and job growth among companies that support 5G innovation and infrastructure. 5G coverage and performance also continue to expand around the world, and more users are benefitting from faster connectivity as they upgrade to 5G-capable products.”

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