FT: Apple is asking Washington for permission to buy DRAM from CXMT, a blacklisted Chinese supplier, because AI server d…
Rohan Paul Twitter · Rohan Paul (@rohanpaul_ai) · 2026-06-28
Apple is seeking a U.S. government waiver to purchase DRAM from CXMT, a Pentagon-listed Chinese supplier, as AI server demand tightens global memory supply and forces consumer device price hikes that erased $263 billion in Apple's market value.
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Extraction
Topics: dram-supplyai-infrastructureus-china-tradesemiconductor-supply-chainapple
Claims
- Apple is requesting Washington permission to buy DRAM from CXMT, a company on the Pentagon's Chinese Military Company list.
- AI server buildout is pulling DRAM and HBM factory capacity away from consumer devices toward data center applications.
- Memory cost pressure from AI infrastructure demand caused Apple to raise MacBook and iPad prices, contributing to a $263 billion market-value loss.
- CXMT's Pentagon listing does not block purchases outright but could escalate significantly if Commerce adds it to the Entity List.
- Apple's DRAM dependency on Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix creates supply concentration risk that CXMT could partially relieve.
Key quotes
Apple's $263B market-value loss was triggered by the memory-cost pressure that forced MacBook and iPad price hikes, showing how AI infrastructure demand is now raising the cost base of everyday consumer devices.
CXMT sits on the Pentagon's Chinese Military Company list, which does not block Apple purchases by itself but signals national-security concern and could become far more serious if Commerce adds CXMT to the Entity List.