June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform on Thursday that Apple had agreed to collaborate with Intel on chip design and manufacturing in the United States.

This partnership helps Apple diversify its manufacturing base as it seeks to increase its chip production capacity. The iPhone maker relies heavily on TSMC, whose advanced production lines are in high demand from artificial intelligence chip manufacturers like Nvidia.

The Wall Street Journal reported in May that Intel had reached a preliminary agreement to manufacture some chips for Apple after negotiations that lasted more than a year.

Neither Apple nor Intel responded to Reuters' requests for comment outside of business hours.

The deal with Apple gives Intel a steady order from one of the world's largest consumer electronics companies, boosting its reputation and manufacturing business, which has lagged behind TSMC in recent years.