A group of US lawmakers is pressuring the Trump administration to block American companies from purchasing memory chips made by ChangXin Memory Technologies, a Chinese semiconductor manufacturer that the Pentagon identified as a Chinese military company in 2025.
The push comes as Apple has been quietly lobbying the administration since around May 2026 for clearance to buy CXMT’s DRAM chips, a move that has turned what might have been a routine supply chain decision into a full-blown national security debate.
Apple’s CXMT gamble
Apple has reportedly been testing CXMT chips for devices destined for the Chinese market. CXMT has been gaining ground fast, growing its global DRAM market share from 3% to 8% in Q1 2026. Rep. John Moolenaar has made clear that sourcing components from a firm linked to the Chinese military is, in his view, a serious mistake that ultimately strengthens China.
The concern isn’t just about where Apple buys its chips. It’s about the downstream effects: revenue flowing to a company the Pentagon considers military-adjacent, and the potential for that money to fuel China’s artificial intelligence and defense capabilities.
