According to the Financial Times, Apple is seeking authorization from the Trump administration.
Apple is trying to get permission from the Trump administration to buy memory chips from a blacklisted Chinese company, according to the Financial Times. Specifically, Apple is reportedly looking to purchase Chinese memory chip maker CXMT, which was recently added to the Pentagon’s 1260H list of companies. The Department of Defense adds to this particular list companies it believes are linked to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
While Apple isn’t technically prohibited from doing business with CXMT, it could face repercussions from the US government if it doesn’t get the White House’s blessing. The Department of Defense cannot sign contracts with the companies on the list or use their products or services through third parties. Apple first contacted the Commerce Department about this a month ago, on Times he says, and he also talks to his connections in Washington.
Purchasing memory chips from CXMT could help Apple overcome the current shortage of memory chips. The company recently raised prices on most of its hardware, shortly after Tim Cook warned that it could no longer escape memory shortages. Apple’s 1TB MacBook Pro M5 now costs $300 more, and even the entry-level MacBook Neo got a $100 price hike. All iPad Pros will cost you $200 more than it would have cost you just a week ago. Currently, Apple buys memory chips from the American company Micron as well as the South Korean companies Samsung and SK Hynix.
The times says Congress should oppose it if the Trump administration agrees with Apple’s plan. “Apple choosing to partner with a Chinese military company would be a big mistake,” John Moolenaar, who is leading congressional efforts to investigate China’s geopolitical influence, told the publication.
