Apple Seeks U.S. Approval for Chinese DRAM After Device Price Hikes
AAPL•Apple raised global prices on MacBooks, iPads, HomePods and Apple TV last week, citing surging memory costs and widening supply-demand imbalances. The company is lobbying the U.S. government to allow purchases of DRAM from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies, currently blacklisted by the Pentagon.
1. Price Hikes and Cost Pressures
Apple implemented price increases on MacBooks, iPads, HomePods and Apple TV devices worldwide last week in response to rapidly escalating memory component costs and a widening gap between supply and demand.
2. Lobbying for CXMT DRAM Access
The company is actively petitioning the U.S. government to permit purchases of DRAM from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s largest DRAM maker which is currently on the Pentagon’s blacklist, aiming to diversify suppliers and reduce future export restrictions.
3. Supply-Demand Imbalance Risks
Despite CXMT’s limited capacity relative to global demand and ongoing allocation of memory to AI data centres, Apple views additional DRAM sources as strategically essential to mitigate supply chain risks and support future iPhone and device production.
