Apple has begun testing memory chips from China’s state-backed CXMT for devices sold in China, the Financial Times reports. That puts it behind a supplier Washington has flagged as a security risk.
Apple has turned to Chinese memory chips for its own devices. It has begun testing DRAM from state-backed ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), the Financial Times reports. The chips would go into products sold inside China. Apple has also lobbied Washington to allow broader use of CXMT parts.
The move lands in a tense spot. Apple’s ties to Chinese suppliers now draw political fire, just as the US pushes to slow China’s chip ambitions. Testing memory from a Beijing-backed firm cuts across that effort.
Who CXMT is
CXMT now ranks as the world’s fourth-largest maker of DRAM, the memory that sits in everything from phones to servers. Its share should hit 15 per cent by 2028, up from about 11 per cent last year, per SemiAnalysis. New lines in Hefei, Shanghai and Beijing will drive the climb.
