Apple’s strategy to mitigate memory chip shortages by sourcing from Chinese manufacturer ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has encountered significant resistance, according to reports from South Korean media outlet Digital Daily.
Despite Apple’s reported lobbying efforts with the White House to secure permission for these purchases, CXMT has refused to offer the cost advantages that would make the supply chain shift economically viable.
In recent price negotiations, CXMT insisted that its quotes for LPDDR5X mobile DRAM must match or exceed those of industry leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.
This pricing stance effectively neutralizes the primary incentive for Apple to diversify its supply base toward a Chinese vendor, which was largely driven by the need to lower costs amid a global memory shortage.
The development suggests that Apple’s attempt to leverage a "China solution" to ease supply constraints and reduce expenses is failing to materialize.
The impasse reinforces the dominant market position of South Korean memory giants.