Apple’s real memory problem isn’t cost, it’s supply
Apple continues work to get White House go-ahead to source memory from Chinese supplier CXMT, which the US government has placed restrictions on. For Apple, the issue comes down to simple math. With the cost of making iPhones up 38% because of eye-watering memory price increases — up almost 7-fold since the beginning of 2025 — it makes sense to make pragmatic choices when it comes to sourcing…
Apple's real memory challenge isn't the cost, it's the supply. The company is in talks with Chinese supplier CXMT to source memory, but the US government's restrictions pose a hurdle. The price of memory has skyrocketed, up nearly 7-fold since 2025, and Apple's iPhone production costs have surged by 38%. Apple is also facing a shortage of available memory, as Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix have reportedly exhausted their DRAM production for 2027.
With China consuming around 20% of all Apple hardware, securing alternate memory sources is crucial. Apple needs CXMT's approval to use their RAM in devices made and sold in China, which would free up non-restricted memory for other markets. However, the supply could take until next year to improve, and the company is already preparing for price hikes on upcoming iPhone models due to these memory shortages.
Written by urgent.news from Computerworld's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
