US lawmakers press Trump administration to block Chinese memory chip suppliers

Senior U.S. lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to stop American companies from buying from Chinese memory chip suppliers ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC), even as Apple reportedly seeks approval to source DRAM from CXMT during a global memory shortage. Lawmakers say dependence on the two companies poses “an unacceptable risk” to U.S. national, economic and supply-chain security and are pushing for broader restrictions beyond the Pentagon’s Chinese military companies list. They want CXMT added to the Commerce Department’s export control list, tighter sanctions on YMTC, and rules barring U.S. companies from buying semiconductors from firms on either the Defense Department or Commerce Department lists. The lawmakers are also calling for coordinated action with South Korea, Japan and the European Union to keep the Chinese chipmakers out of allied supply chains as supply tightens. The pressure comes as CXMT expands rapidly, with Counterpoint Research estimating it holds a 9% share of global DRAM bit shipments and is poised to raise about $10.1 billion through a Shanghai Star Market listing, while analysts say a potential move into high-bandwidth memory could further strengthen its position.