Apple is reportedly lobbying the Trump administration for clearance to purchase RAM and storage memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese company that is restricted by U.S. national security measures. Multiple outlets, citing the Financial Times, say Apple has approached U.S. Commerce Department officials and engaged other senior stakeholders in Washington in an effort to obtain a special exception. CXMT has been placed on a Pentagon blacklist over alleged links to the People’s Liberation Army and is also listed on the Commerce Department’s Entity List, which generally limits U.S. firms’ ability to export goods, software, or technology to listed entities without a license.
The reported request is tied to cost and supply pressures from an ongoing global memory shortage and sharply higher DRAM and storage prices, which are further intensified by increased demand from artificial intelligence and data centers. According to the Financial Times, Apple has already begun passing some of those costs to consumers, including price increases for iPad and MacBook models. The situation highlights the tension between supply chain and pricing needs for U.S. technology companies and regulatory restrictions aimed at reducing national security risks connected to Chinese semiconductor firms.
