In a pretty interesting move, Apple is reportedly lobbying the US government to allow it to buy memory chips from a Chinese manufacturer. This follows Samsung raising RAM prices by 100% earlier this year, a hike Apple reportedly accepted without negotiation.
According to well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the situation isn’t just about higher prices anymore: it’s turning into a real supply crunch that could last through 2027. Lenovo has even warned that the higher prices could become the “new normal.”
In a post on X, Kuo mentioned that Apple is actively trying to keep ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT, also known as Changxin Memory) off the US Entity List so it can potentially purchase DRAM chips from them.
CXMT is China’s biggest DRAM maker, but it’s reportedly on the Pentagon’s blacklist because of alleged military ties. That makes any business with them politically sensitive. Still, Apple appears willing to navigate these tricky waters as memory supply for consumer devices gets squeezed.
Kuo predicts that a big chunk of memory production, around 15-20% of what’s allocated to consumer electronics in 2026, could shift toward data centers and AI infrastructure in 2027. This reallocation is already affecting supplies of LPDDR memory, which is critical for mobile devices. As a result, Apple’s orders for the upcoming A20 chip might come in 10-20% lower than originally planned for late 2026 and early 2027.
We’ve already seen DRAM and NAND prices shoot up, and even Tim Cook has publicly talked about the sharp cost increases.
Adding CXMT as a potential supplier probably won’t completely solve the problem or drastically cut costs because the company’s own production capacity is still limited. But for Apple, it’s about diversifying sources and reducing risk, especially as Apple Intelligence demands more memory.
It remains to be seen whether the US government will approve the request, but the story highlights growing vulnerabilities that could affect phone pricing, availability, and innovation for years to come.
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(Source: Ming-Chi Kuo on X)
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