Apple Lobbies White House for Clearance to Buy Chips from Blacklisted Chinese Firm
Apple is seeking approval from the Trump administration to purchase memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), a Chinese company that the Pentagon has placed on a blacklist, according to a report from the Financial Times on Friday.
The iPhone maker has lobbied the White House for permission to buy chips from CXMT, aiming to ease financial pressure from rising memory chip prices, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
The White House, Apple and CXMT did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters outside regular business hours.
The lobbying effort highlights the difficult position facing major US technology companies as soaring memory chip costs clash with Washington's national security restrictions on Chinese chipmakers. CXMT was added to the US Defence Department's list of entities deemed to be 'Chinese military companies' in December 2024, which restricts American firms from doing business with them.
Apple is one of the world's largest buyers of memory chips, which are used in its iPhones and other devices. The company has been seeking to diversify its supply chain and reduce reliance on South Korean rivals Samsung and SK Hynix, but the blacklist on CXMT has complicated those efforts.
The development comes amid broader tensions between the US and China over technology and trade. Washington has imposed export controls and blacklists targeting Chinese firms in sectors such as semiconductors, citing national security concerns. Meanwhile, Beijing has retaliated with its own restrictions.
Apple's request for approval is not guaranteed, as the US government has been tightening scrutiny of technology transfers to China. However, the company's lobbying underscores the commercial pressures it faces as chip prices rise due to increased demand and supply constraints.
The Financial Times report did not specify which chips Apple aims to buy from CXMT, or the quantity. It remains unclear whether the White House will grant the clearance.
