Published on 6/27/2026
The Financial Times newspaper revealed, citing sources, that Apple is putting pressure on the administration of US President Donald Trump to obtain approval allowing it to purchase memory chips from Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese company blacklisted by the US Department of Defense.
According to the newspaper, the iPhone manufacturer has addressed the White House in an attempt to alleviate the financial pressures it faces as a result of the continuous rise in memory chip prices.
These moves highlight the challenges facing major American technology companies, in light of the conflict between the need to reduce the costs of manufacturing components and the security restrictions imposed by Washington on Chinese chip manufacturers.
One source told the Financial Times that Apple contacted the US Department of Commerce more than a month ago, and also made contact with other officials in the US administration and its allies in Washington in an effort to obtain the required approval.
Blacklisted company
During the administration of former President Joe Biden, the US Department of Defense classified CXMT, the largest Chinese producer of memory chips, as a Chinese military company. A joint government committee also agreed last year to include the company and others on the list of entities affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce.
Under these restrictions, US companies may export goods, software or technology to listed companies only after obtaining a license, a license that is likely to be denied in most cases.
These efforts come after Apple, on Thursday, raised the prices of iPad and MacBook devices, stressing that it was no longer able to absorb the increase in the costs of memory and storage chips, which it attributed to the significant expansion of data centers related to the artificial intelligence sector.
