Apple faces U.S. opposition over Chinese RAM chip plans

The Trump administration is opposing Apple's reported plans to expand its RAM supplier list to include Chinese manufacturers. This comes amid a global memory shortage that has driven up prices for computers, smartphones, and tablets.

U.S. Senators have expressed concerns via an open letter, urging Apple to avoid components from Chinese firms CXMT and YMTC. Legislators fear that relying on Chinese memory chips could create further dependencies and allow state-subsidized Chinese companies to push out trusted Western manufacturers. Apple has been asked to respond to several inquiries regarding these potential negotiations by August 21.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reinforced this stance during a visit to a new Apple IT manufacturing training facility in Houston. He stated that the administration is against such plans and that alternative solutions to the memory shortage must be found that do not involve Chinese suppliers.