US Authorities Urge Apple Not To Purchase Chinese Memory
Credit: AI
The Trump administration has urged Apple not to purchase memory chips from Chinese manufacturers. The company is considering new suppliers due to a semiconductor shortage that has worsened amid the rapid development of AI infrastructure.
The colossal demand for RAM from data center operators has led to a global shortage of these chips and a sharp rise in prices for the remaining ones. Apple and other manufacturers have been forced to significantly raise prices for finished products; to mitigate the impact of the shortage, Apple even turned to Chinese manufacturers. “The Trump administration is not happy about this,” Mr. Lutnick said in an interview after visiting Apple’s Houston manufacturing facility. There must be “other solutions to the memory problem, but not for great American companies to use Chinese memory,” he noted, adding that he had conveyed this position to Apple’s leadership.
Informed sources claim that the iPhone maker is testing memory chips from Chinese companies CXMT and YMTC, indicating that Apple may use them in its devices designed for use in China. HP and Acer have already begun installing CXMT memory in computers sold outside the United States. US regulations require American companies to obtain a license to disclose product information about CXMT and YMTC. This is only envisaged if Chinese manufacturers produce chips specifically to order for Apple—prices can be negotiated and finished products can be purchased without government permission.
Senators from states where expansion of memory chip production is planned also contacted Apple. In July, they called on CEO Tim Cook not to cooperate with Chinese suppliers.
The dispute creates a new point of tension between Apple and the Trump administration, which is seeking to accelerate the relocation of production chains to the United States.
