Apple reportedly lobbies Trump administration to allow "purchase of Chinese memory"! Analyst: Without CXMT, hard to compete with Huawei in DRAM.

According to the latest report from 9to5Mac citing the Financial Times, after fully raising MacBook and iPad prices to pass on costs, tech giant Apple is increasing its lobbying pressure on the Trump administration, hoping to obtain special permission to purchase DRAM chips from Chinese memory giant ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), which has been placed on the U.S. military blacklist. Community analysts further warn that this is not just a price issue; if Apple cannot smoothly obtain Chinese domestic chips, it risks completely losing the Chinese market under the fierce attack from Huawei's new generation chips.

(Previous summary: Giving up incremental upgrades for AI! Apple reportedly cuts M6 Pro/Max, high-end Macs will jump directly to 'M7 generation')

(Background supplement: AI consumes memory capacity! Apple can't bear it, raises MacBook and iPad prices, stock price plunges over 5%)

Table of Contents

Toggle

• To solve capacity drought, Cook says 'everything should be on the table'
• Not just a price issue! Without CXMT chips, market share in China could be 'zeroed out'
• Expanding the front! Apple reportedly applies for NAND flash from Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) simultaneously

Under the severe capacity squeeze from global artificial intelligence (AI) and servers, consumer DRAM has fallen into extreme shortage. Apple, which was forced to raise global Mac and iPad prices this week due to soaring component costs, has now been revealed to be seeking a compromise between political and business bottom lines. According to reports from 9to5Mac and the Financial Times, Apple is actively lobbying the White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce, hoping to obtain a special license to purchase memory from Chinese chipmakers placed on the U.S. military blacklist.

To solve capacity drought, Cook says 'everything should be on the table'

The report states that Apple submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Commerce a month ago, and has recently further expanded its lobbying efforts at the White House. Apple's desired procurement target is DRAM chips from China's leading memory core company, ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). However, CXMT was previously placed on the Pentagon's 'Chinese Military Company Blacklist (1260H List)' due to alleged ties with the People's Liberation Army (PLA), meaning that U.S. companies technically require a special government-issued license to cooperate with it.

In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook recently gave an exclusive interview to the Wall Street Journal, where he subtly laid the groundwork for using Chinese suppliers. He stated: 'China has national champion companies in memory and storage, but due to national security regulations, U.S. companies are likely to need a license to cooperate with them. On whether these restrictions should be relaxed, I believe everything should be on the table, and we should examine all supply sources.'

Not just a price issue! Without CXMT chips, market share in China could be 'zeroed out'

Regarding Apple's major move to seek a favor from the Trump administration, community and industry analysts generally believe that the interests involved go far beyond simply 'reducing hardware costs'. Tech analyst Zephyr (@zephyr_z9) sharply pointed out on X platform that the current global situation is 'extremely difficult to obtain sufficient DRAM', and this game is directly tied to Apple's survival in the Chinese market.

The problem isn't just the price
Getting enough DRAM is hard
Secondly, this is China only
They have to compete with Huawei (which can use CXMT and also has its own memory fab thru SwaySure JV)
Apple can't maintain its market share in China without using CXMT DRAM
Kirin 9040 will… https://t.co/t3gSfpRC3X pic.twitter.com/Ll7NUaquub

— Zephyr (@zephyr_z9) June 27, 2026

Zephyr's analysis points out that this batch of proposed chips is likely limited to local supply in the Chinese market. In China, Apple is facing extremely fierce competition from its archrival Huawei. Huawei can not only use CXMT's memory without restrictions, but also has its own memory fab through a joint venture with SwaySure, achieving complete local self-sufficiency in the supply chain.

'If Apple does not use CXMT's DRAM, it cannot maintain its market share in China,' Zephyr warns. More critically, Huawei's upcoming new-generation processor Kirin 9040 is expected to significantly narrow the performance gap with Apple's A-series and M-series SoCs. If Apple, due to U.S. sanctions restrictions, cannot obtain sufficient memory capacity in China or cannot launch devices with high memory specifications to support Apple Intelligence features, its leading position in China could collapse overnight.

Expanding the front! Apple reportedly applies for NAND flash from Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) simultaneously

In addition to CXMT's DRAM, Zephyr also revealed that Apple is now simultaneously lobbying the U.S. government, hoping to obtain approval to purchase NAND Flash from another Chinese flash memory giant — Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) — which has been placed on the Entity List. This shows that Apple, in order to solve the supply chain crisis caused by a fourfold surge in component costs, has resolved to engage in a political game with the U.S. government over supply chain 'de-Americanization/localization'.

However, this lobbying effort is facing significant political resistance in Washington. Many congressional hawks strongly question that allowing blacklisted companies to operate would harm national security, and it remains unknown whether Chinese local chip fabs will prioritize supply to local brands like Huawei. On the Trump administration's dilemma scale between 'tough stance on China' and 'protecting U.S. companies', whether this memory license will be granted will become a key indicator driving the tectonic shift among global tech giants.