Intel CEO says Justin Long attack ads are 'competitive fun' with Apple

After a week of attack ads against Apple and its new Apple silicon Macs, Intel's new CEO Pat Gelsinger flew in the face of those ads announcing that the company is seeking Apple as a potential customer for its new foundry business.

In a new interview with Yahoo! Finance, Gelsinger says that he has even reached out directly to Tim Cook to talk about a potential partnership.

Only about a month into the job, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says he has already dropped a dime to Apple CEO Tim Cook in an effort to begin repairing the relationship between the two tech titans.

"So obviously you've seen some of the competitive energies [in chipmaking] resume because there's a lot of great innovation to be done, and we haven't seen PC demand at this level for a decade and a half. The world needs more of that, and there is competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem," Gelsinger told Yahoo Finance Live.

Gelsinger says that they are hoping to position themselves as a way for Apple to diversify its dependence on TSMC.

Gelsinger said he is hopeful that Intel could win back business from Apple. He is focused on helping Apple manufacture its owns chips through its facilities.

"Apple is a customer, and I hope to make them a big foundry customer because today they're wholly dependent on Taiwan Semiconductor. We want to present great options for them to leverage our foundry services, as well, just like we're working with Qualcomm and Microsoft to leverage our foundry. We're going to be delivering great technology, some things that can't be done anywhere else in the world," Gelsinger explained.

If you're ready to get on the Apple silicon train before Intel starts making the chips, check out our list of the Best Mac of 2021.

Gelsinger's comments come after Intel launched a major advertisement campaign against Apple that recruited Justin Long, the former "I'm a Mac" actor, to now hype PCs. While the stark contrast between Intel's marketing and Gelsinger's comments is understandably confusing, Gelsinger himself says it is as simple as "competitive fun going on with Apple and the Mac ecosystem."