Apple eyes blacklisted Chinese supplier to ease chip shortage - City AM

Apple is reportedly lobbying the Trump administration to allow purchases of memory chips from a Chinese manufacturer blacklisted by the Pentagon, amid ongoing global semiconductor supply constraints d... Read original →

Apple’s overture toward blacklisted CXMT reflects a desperate maneuver amid AI-driven DRAM shortages, not strategic alignment. Technically, the industry-wide shift from commodity DRAM to HBM has starved consumer electronics of supply, exposing Apple’s reliance on mature-node memory. Compliance-wise, even without explicit bans, heightened scrutiny and audit burdens will inflate operational costs—especially during the U.S. election cycle. Competitors like Samsung and SK Hynix may tighten allocations to Western OEMs while deepening ties with domestic AI chipmakers; Micron will likely lobby for accelerated CHIPS Act funding for U.S.-based DRAM fabs. Over the next 18 months, accelerated decoupling in memory could destabilize packaging and module hubs in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong, China, while boosting CXMT’s global footprint—forcing Washington to confront the real economic cost of its 'de-risking' doctrine.