Apple wants to buy memory chips from China’s top DRAM producer. The catch: that producer, ChangXin Memory Technologies, sits on the Pentagon’s blacklist.
According to the Financial Times, Apple has been lobbying the Trump administration since early May 2026 for permission to source DRAM from CXMT, a company flagged on the Pentagon’s 1260H list for alleged ties to China’s military. The conversations have included officials at the Commerce Department, with Apple seeking assurances that doing business with CXMT wouldn’t trigger the company’s addition to the more restrictive Entity List.
The motivation is straightforward: DRAM prices have reportedly quadrupled, driven by supply shortages and insatiable demand from AI applications. CXMT can offer chips at 10-30% less than Apple’s current suppliers.
The CXMT factor
ChangXin Memory Technologies currently holds an estimated 6-8% share of the global DRAM market. The DRAM industry is dominated by just three players: Samsung, SK hynix, and Micron.
