Despite its best efforts, Apple is not immune to the DRAM and NAND shortages and price hikes. This forced the company to substantially hike the prices of Macs and iPads.
To ease the memory crunch, Apple is considering sourcing memory from Chinese suppliers. But even if that happens, don’t expect the company’s products to become cheaper.
Apple wants more memory suppliers
During Apple’s Q3 2026 earnings call, outgoing CEO Tim Cook clearly addressed this topic. He said:
“In terms of the sources of supply, you know, primarily the DRAM market has three suppliers, and obviously if there were more suppliers, that would be good, and it would help us on the supply side and perhaps the pricing side. It’s unclear on the pricing side, but it could help on the supply side, and so, we’re evaluating all options.”
Today, the DRAM market is dominated by Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix. Apple has long relied on these companies for its memory chips, but the recent supply crunch has driven up prices and made sourcing more challenging.
Adding more suppliers would give Apple greater flexibility, reduce its dependence on a handful of companies and help it better manage future shortages. Given the current situation, Cook himself acknowledged that any pricing benefit remains uncertain.
Chinese suppliers face political hurdles
In recent weeks, reports have suggested that Apple is lobbying the US government to source memory chips from Chinese companies CXMT and YMTC. It won’t use the chips in products sold in the US, limiting them to units sold in China.
While CXMT and YMTC are not banned by the White House, they are on the 1260H list. This means the US government believes they have ties to the Chinese military.
So, Apple can technically use their chips in its devices without explicit government approval. But that will create reputational risks and the company may face the ire of President Trump.
That’s why the company is pushing for explicit approval from the US government to use Chinese chips in its devices, even if they are not meant for devices sold in the US.
Securing NAND chips from CXMT and YMTC will only help Apple ease the supply constraints to some extent and better cater to demand, not lower its product prices.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
You can reach out to him at mail[at]rajeshpandey.me.
