Apple seeks approval to buy CXMT DRAM as AI-driven memory shortage lifts device prices

Apple is reportedly lobbying the Trump administration for approval and assurances to buy memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies, or CXMT, as an AI-driven supply crunch pushes up component costs and forces broader price increases across consumer electronics. The Financial Times said Apple has been pressing the White House, the Commerce Department and other officials for comfort that CXMT, a Chinese memory maker on the Pentagon’s 1260H list of companies allegedly tied to the Chinese military, will not be added to the U.S. Entity List, which would trigger stricter licensing rules. Apple is not currently barred from using CXMT as a supplier, but the political risk around the company has made the sourcing decision sensitive. The pressure comes as Apple raised prices this week for Macs, iPads, home devices and its Vision Pro headset after warning last month that memory shortages would worsen through the year. The move helped trigger a selloff in global tech stocks as investors worried higher component costs could weaken device demand and eventually slow the memory rally that has underpinned much of the AI trade. The Pentagon had previously removed CXMT and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. from its 1260H list before restoring both in its latest version; while the designation brings few immediate legal penalties, investors often view it as a warning sign that tougher restrictions could follow.