Apple to Expand Arizona Sapphire Plant to Boost Production?

Apple and GT Advanced may be looking to expand operations at the companies' yet to be completed Mesa, Arizona facility, reports AppleInsider. The expansion could accommodate higher yields for an unknown component.

While construction of the joint Apple-GT Advanced sapphire manufacturing facility is not yet complete, multiple companies are already posting bids to build out a proposed expansion, according to people close to the project. The plant and its grounds, collectively dubbed "Project Cascade," occupies an 83-acre plot of land in the City of Mesa's designated foreign trade zone. As seen above, a large main structure takes up a majority of available space, while parking lots, support structures and various equipment fill in the surrounding area. There is talk that the current site may be extended into an area directly behind Cascade, one person said.

Public records from the U.S. International Trade Administration indicate that the adjacent parcels of vacant land could be large enough to replicate the size of the existing facility. The exact purpose of the second unit is unknown; however, project planners are seeking bids from existing construction companies and material suppliers, suggesting the structure could be similar.


Apple is widely expected to be producing sapphire crystal glass displays for the next generation iPhone at the plant. GT Advanced has reportedly ordered equipment and material which is capable of producing 100-200 million 5-inch sapphire crystal iPhone displays for Apple.

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More details in the full report linked below...

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