Apple tests China's CXMT memory chips for iPhones and MacBooks, WSJ reports
Apple is testing CXMT memory for iPhones and MacBooks as the AI-driven DRAM shortage pushes suppliers to expand output, Reuters reported.
- On Aug 9, The Wall Street Journal reported Apple is testing memory chips from Chinese manufacturer CXMT across product lines including iPhones and MacBooks to mitigate component shortages fueled by the AI boom.
- Global DRAM shortages have forced tech companies to seek alternative suppliers, and Apple initiated testing as part of a strategy to secure reliable memory supplies amid surging demand from AI infrastructure buildouts.
- Laptop makers like Acer have already adopted CXMT memory chips, while Huawei and Xiaomi have locked up much of the manufacturer's available output through long-term agreements, giving CXMT little incentive to offer Apple discounts.
- Apple held early discussions with CXMT about supplying components for devices sold in China and is seeking government support before proceeding; both companies declined to comment on the report.
- Industry-Wide DRAM shortages already impact production of the A20 Pro chip, while TSMC reports having around $1 billion worth of finished chips awaiting memory before packaging can continue.
80 Articles
80 Articles
Apple’s Memory Bind Tightens: Why China’s Chipmakers Offer Little Relief
Apple finds itself squeezed by a global shortage of memory chips that shows no quick end. Demand from artificial intelligence systems has diverted production capacity away from the DRAM and NAND components that power iPhones, MacBooks and iPads. Prices have climbed sharply. Product costs have risen. And one potential workaround, sourcing more from Chinese suppliers, now looks even more distant. The situation carries real consequences. Higher com…
China now even less likely to solve Apple's memory crunch
One of Apple’s proposed solutions – or at least mitigations – for the memory shortage was to buy RAM from two Chinese companies, CXMT and YMTC. While it was not technically banned from doing so, this would have put it into conflict with the US government, and the idea is now looking even less likely thanks to two developments …
Fox Business
The New York LedgerApple reportedly testing Chinese-made memory chips for iPhones, MacBooks amid global shortage
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U.S. Tech companies becoming increasingly reliant on Chinese chip companies blacklisted by the Pentagon
The artificial intelligence and data center boom has strangled the traditional memory chip market so severely that American juggernauts like Apple are now knocking on the door of a Chinese company blacklisted by the Pentagon. The move signals a seismic shift in the balance of power, where the “cartel” pricing of South Korean and American […]
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