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Apple tests CXMT memory chips for China-market iPhones and MacBooks
The effort follows a global memory shortage tied to AI infrastructure spending, which Apple says drove its memory and storage costs up roughly fourfold.
Apple is evaluating memory chips from China-based CXMT for use across its product lineup, including iPhones and MacBooks, as Reuters reported.
Early talks with CXMT focus initially on devices sold in China, and Apple is also seeking White House approval to use the chips in China-market products, according to Semafor.
The company’s outreach comes amid a global memory crunch driven by surging demand from AI infrastructure buildouts, which has squeezed supply for consumer electronics makers. CNBC cited an analyst saying CXMT’s technology trails leading memory chipmakers, including SK Hynix, Samsung, and Micron, by roughly two to three generations.
Apple has already moved on pricing, with CEO Tim Cook announcing increases on Apple products about two months ago, saying surging memory and storage costs had become unsustainable. Cook characterized the pricing environment as exceptionally volatile, and he linked the shortage to hyperscalers such as Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon expanding capital expenditure budgets, a shift that helped push memory and storage chip costs up fourfold.