Apple Seeks White House Permission to Buy Banned Chinese Chips

Apple is currently locked in high-stakes negotiations to purchase memory chips from two prominent Chinese semiconductor manufacturers that sit directly on a United States Pentagon blacklist, Bloomberg is reporting.

The tech giant is simultaneously launching a quiet lobbying effort in Washington to soften potential political fallout as it scrambles to mitigate a global memory shortage that has already driven up product prices for consumers.

According to people familiar with the matter, Apple wants to source critical memory components from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC). If finalized, the plan would see these Chinese-made memory chips placed exclusively into devices destined for the Chinese market.

The sudden rush to expand its supply chain stems from a massive, industry-wide crunch on components. The explosive boom in artificial intelligence has forced traditional memory manufacturers to pivot their production lines toward high-margin AI data servers. This structural shift has left consumer electronics brands fighting over a dramatically reduced pool of standard RAM and storage chips.

The consequences of this supply squeeze hit home just last week when Apple raised prices across its entire lineup of Macs, iPads, and the Vision Pro headset, citing skyrocketing memory procurement costs.

To get ahead of the inevitable political firestorm, Tim Cook has reportedly initiated conversations with top Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Legally, Apple does not require formal US government approval to purchase chips from CXMT or YMTC. However, bypassing Washington without a green light would risk severe reputational damage and retaliation from national security hawks.

This is not the first time Apple has eyed these Chinese suppliers. Back in 2022, Apple attempted to close a supply deal with YMTC, but the effort was quickly derailed by intense congressional backlash.