Why Apple Is Testing Memory Chips From Blacklisted Chinese Supplier CXMT

Political and supply-chain challenges

• Pentagon blacklist. CXMT appears on the U.S. Defense Department's Section 1260H list of "Chinese military companies," making any purchase by a U.S. firm legally and politically fraught .
• Bipartisan Senate ultimatum. In late July 2026, Senator Chuck Schumer and a bipartisan group of colleagues sent Apple a letter demanding it commit by August 21, 2026, to never buy chips from CXMT or fellow Chinese supplier YMTC .
• Administration lobbying. Apple has pressed the Commerce Department and other agencies for written guarantees it can buy from CXMT without penalty, but no approval has been granted .
• National security vs. supply pragmatism. Lawmakers warn that using CXMT chips would make Apple "reliant on a U.S. adversary for crucial components," while Apple argues the shortage leaves it with few alternatives .

How the AI-driven DRAM shortage is hitting Apple's launches and pricing

• First broad price hikes in decades. On June 25, 2026, Apple raised prices 15–29% across Macs, iPads, HomePod, Apple TV, and Vision Pro — a move Tim Cook called "reluctant" and directly attributed to AI-driven memory cost increases .
• iPhones may be next. The September 2026 iPhone lineup was spared in the June round, but analysts widely expect iPhone price increases in the next cycle. Cook warned that supply constraints will affect iPhone, Mac, and iPad sales in September .
• Profitability under pressure. As early as January 2026, Apple told investors that rising memory chip prices had started hitting profitability. By May, Cook said memory costs would drive "an increasing impact" in coming quarters .
• No end in sight. Analysts at Kearney's PERLab project the shortage to last until at least 2028–2030. Memory manufacturers cannot produce enough DRAM for both AI data centers and consumer devices simultaneously .