Apple Is Negotiating With Blacklisted Chinese RAM Makers to Cut Memory Costs

Apple is in discussions with two Chinese memory manufacturers on US government blacklists and it’s asking Washington for permission to make it happen. According to 9to5Mac citing the Financial Times, Apple has been negotiating with ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Fujian Jinhua Integrated Circuit (JHICC) moves directly tied to the memory price crisis that recently forced Apple to raise prices on MacBooks, iPads, HomePod, and Apple TV models.

The motivations are straightforward. Chinese DRAM suppliers offer meaningfully lower prices than the established trio of Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron, plus additional supply capacity during a shortage driven by AI data center demand consuming memory at unprecedented rates. Apple contacted US officials over a month ago to explore purchasing from CXMT despite the company’s presence on the Department of Defense’s list of companies with alleged Chinese military links. JHICC has been on the Commerce Department’s Entity List since 2018 following trade secret theft allegations.

The political complications are real. Representative John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has already warned that sourcing from military-linked companies undermines US semiconductor security efforts. Any deal requires government approval which is far from guaranteed.

One scenario analysts float is using Chinese-sourced memory only for devices sold inside China, while global products continue using existing suppliers. Apple hasn’t confirmed anything, no contracts have been signed, and neither CXMT nor JHICC has announced any agreement.

Source