Apple plans to create a $1 billion fund to invest in US companies that perform advanced manufacturing, said a report.

The company will announce the fund's first investment later in May, Tim Cook, chief executive officer, Apple, was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

Speaking during an interview on CNBC, Cook also said that Apple plans to fund programmes that could include teaching people how to write computer code to create apps, and will release more details about the effort this summer.

The announcements were the latest in a series of disclosures to highlight how Apple, the world's largest company by market valuation, contributes to job creation in the US.