Apple turns to blacklisted Chinese chipmaker as global prices surge

The surge in demand for high‑bandwidth memory driven by artificial‑intelligence workloads has tightened DRAM supplies, creating a wave of “chipflation” that is raising prices for consumer electronics worldwide. Microsoft announced hikes for Xbox consoles, and Apple has lifted prices on MacBook, iMac, iPad, Mac Studio and Vision Pro models, while leaving iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods unchanged.

Facing these cost pressures, Apple is negotiating to buy memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese DRAM producer that appears on the Pentagon’s 1260H blacklist. The company has asked the Trump administration for a special permission that would keep CXMT off the U.S. Entity List, hoping to secure chips without triggering additional trade restrictions.