Apple’s Memory Bid Could Redraw the AI Chip Landscape

Apple is lobbying the U.S. to source memory from China’s CXMT, arguing Micron is price gouging in a tight memory market, as Tim Cook ties MacBook/iPad price hikes to a memory shortage. CXMT cannot produce high-bandwidth memory, so even if Apple wins approval to buy cheaper DRAM, Micron’s leadership in AI memory would largely endure. The broader drama spotlights AI-driven memory demand, large-scale capacity expansions funded by CHIPS Act programs, and volatile conventional DRAM pricing, with HBM remaining the profitable core for memorymakers.