July 31, 2026 – Apple is actively exploring new DRAM supply channels from China amid a global memory crunch that has driven steep price hikes and strained component availability, multiple industry reports confirm.
The tech giant has been in talks with U.S. authorities since at least June, lobbying for approval to source chips from Chinese memory maker CXMT, the Financial Times first reported on June 27. By July 8, the outlet further revealed Apple had launched formal testing of CXMT-produced DRAM modules, with initial plans to deploy these chips exclusively in devices sold within the Chinese mainland market.
During Apple’s Q3 2026 earnings call on July 30, CEO Tim Cook addressed the push for supply diversification, noting the global DRAM market currently relies on just three major vendors. “We are evaluating every possible option out there,” Cook stated. “Adding more qualified suppliers would not only strengthen supply chain resilience, but also create meaningful benefits for pricing stability across our product lines.”
The initiative has drawn sharp pushback from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators, who sent an open letter to Cook ahead of the earnings call demanding Apple commit by August 21 to halt all procurement from CXMT and fellow Chinese memory firm YMTC. The lawmakers argued that even China-exclusive products using these chips pose purported national security risks, citing both companies’ inclusion on the U.S. Department of Defense’s updated “Chinese Military-Industrial Complex Companies” list.
Critics have pointed out a clear conflict of interest behind the push: nearly all signatories of the letter represent states including New York, Indiana and Idaho, where U.S.-based Micron Technology and South Korea’s SK Hynix are currently pouring tens of billions of dollars into new domestic manufacturing capacity expansions. The proposed ban on Chinese chips would effectively shield these massive ongoing investments from competition from CXMT’s rapidly growing DRAM operations.
