Apple is testing DRAM memory chips from Chinese company ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), according to a new report from Financial Times.
Last week it emerged that Apple was in discussions with CXMT and fellow Chinese chipmaker Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) over memory supply, with no deal finalized. The new details suggest that Apple has since moved toward specifically qualifying CXMT chips, putting the company’s memory through the type of technical validation that typically precedes a vendor’s approval for production use. Apple has apparently still not committed to using CXMT chips commercially and continues to lead a lobbying effort with U.S. technology companies to get Washington’s blessing for wider use of the supplier’s products.
CXMT has grown from a largely subsidized and unremarkable domestic chipmaker to the world’s fourth-largest DRAM producer, behind Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology, accounting for about 11% of global DRAM wafer capacity last year. This share is expected to reach 15% by 2028 with the commissioning of new production lines in Hefei, Shanghai and Beijing. Qualifying CXMT as an operational supplier would now allow Apple to leverage this capability whenever necessary, rather than starting the testing process from scratch once the political green light is obtained.
Standard DRAM contract prices are reported to have increased by about 55% to 60% in early 2026 as demand for AI servers has pushed capacity away from consumer devices, and Apple has recently raised prices across almost its entire product line. A fourth qualified DRAM supplier would give Apple leverage in future negotiations with Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron, as well as potential protection against further price increases due to shortages on devices built for the Chinese market.
Both CXMT and YMTC are on the Pentagon’s 1260H list of companies linked by Washington to the Chinese military. In practice, this mainly cuts contracts with the Department of Defense rather than blocking ordinary commercial purchases, so nothing legally prevents Apple from purchasing CXMT chips today. YMTC imposes a heavier restriction because it is also on the Department of Commerce’s Entity List, meaning any U.S. company needs an export license before doing business with it. What Apple would have wanted from the administration is a promise that CXMT will not be pushed onto this same entity list in the future, as that would effectively cut off supply.
In 2022, an earlier attempt to work with Chinese memory suppliers, including YMTC, drew objections from Washington and was abandoned after pushback from lawmakers. According to BloombergApple CEO Tim Cook has now made his pitch directly to administration officials, presenting it as a way to get memory made in China into devices aimed specifically at the Chinese market, which would leave more Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron chips available for products sold elsewhere. It appears that not everyone in the administration is on board with the plan, and so it remains unclear whether this lobbying campaign will succeed.
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