Apple has been testing memory chips from China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) across product lines including iPhones and MacBooks, according to a report today.
HP and Acer have already begun using CXMT memory in laptops sold outside the United States.
Apple has held early talks with CXMT about supplying components for devices sold in China and is reportedly seeking sign-off from the White House before proceeding.
Earlier reporting indicated Apple had begun qualifying CXMT’s DRAM; this report is the first to place that testing inside specific product categories.
CXMT supply and pricing constraints
U.S. rules bar American companies from transferring technology to CXMT, including conversations about technical details and product specifications. Export lawyer Kevin Wolf of Akin Gump said Apple “can buy off-the-shelf CXMT components and haggle over price, but it can’t commission chips designed to its own requirements.”
Apple typically has memory specially configured to work optimally with its own silicon, so using standard off-the-shelf parts could require reworking sections of its hardware or potentially result in less-than-ideal performance.
A bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Schumer has asked Apple to rule out using Chinese memory entirely; Apple’s response to that request is due August 21.
There are also supply constraints. CXMT has reportedly maxed out production for the year and has little room for new international customers, having already prioritised domestic buyers such as ByteDance, Tencent and Xiaomi. Its prices reportedly sit level with, and sometimes above, those of Micron, SK Hynix and Samsung. A fourth supplier only helps if it has chips to sell and sells them cheaper — conditions CXMT does not currently meet.
In June Apple raised prices across its product lineup, excluding iPhone models, citing memory costs driven by AI infrastructure demand.
