Apple is pouring $390 million into an American company that helps power AirPods and FaceID -- an investment that will create 500 jobs in Texas.
The money will come from a $1 billion fund that Apple established earlier this year to boost U.S. manufacturing jobs.
Apple says the cash will help Finisar, a chip maker, restart a 700,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Sherman, Texas, by the second half of next year. The new plant will create 500 "high-skill" jobs.
Finisar produces "vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers" (VCSELs), which power some Apple's newest features, including Face ID, Animoji, Portrait mode selfies and AirPods.
The investment will go toward rebooting a previously closed 700,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Sherman, Texas. The new plant, which will create 500 jobs, is expected to open in the second half of next year.
"VCSELs power some of the most sophisticated technology we've ever developed and we're thrilled to partner with Finisar over the next several years to push the boundaries of VCSEL technology and the applications they enable," Apple COO Jeff Williams said in a statement.
AirPods are wireless earbuds introduced in 2016 as an untethered way to listen to music, take phone calls and use the Siri voice assistant. Its arrival caused backlash for being easy to lose, but experts said it could be the future of headphones.
Meanwhile, Face ID -- which debuted on the iPhone X this year -- is touted as a more secure way of unlocking your phone. Considered difficult to hack than other systems, other smartphone companies could take Apple's lead and launch similar features in the future.
