Apple seeks US clearance to buy RAM from blacklisted Chinese supplier amid soaring memory costs

Apple is confronting sharply higher costs for DRAM and storage components as demand for AI‑related chips intensifies. The company says the price of memory modules used in its products has risen from roughly $39 to about $196 per unit, prompting plans for price adjustments across its lineup.

To alleviate the cost pressure, Apple has asked the U.S. government for a waiver that would allow it to purchase chips from Chinese memory maker CXMT, a firm placed on a U.S. blacklist over alleged links to the Chinese military. The Department of Commerce previously considered blacklisting CXMT but delayed the action amid broader trade talks. U.S. lawmakers have warned that such a partnership could undermine national‑security‑focused supply‑chain policies.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook emphasized that the surge in memory prices is “unsustainable” and that the company is working to limit the impact on customers, though specific price‑increase details remain undisclosed. Analysts note that Apple’s traditional leverage over its supply chain is weakening as AI drives new market dynamics and as China advances its own domestic memory industry.