Apple's response to RAMageddon could be to utilize Chinese RAM — but it won't mean lower prices for you

RAMageddon is not going to end anytime soon, and the increasing cost of memory is causing the price of all our gadgets to start climbing. In fact, the situation is so bad that analysts predict the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max's price could rise by as much as $200 when it arrives later this year. But Apple may have a plan.

Reports first appeared a few days ago, claiming that Apple was considering sourcing DRAM chips from Chinese companies ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC). Now, though, a new report suggests Apple is already actively testing DRAM from CXMT. Currently around 90% of the global DRAM market is controlled by the big three memory makers: Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron. But if Apple is happy with the results from these Chinese makers, it could help ease the burden overpriced RAM is putting on the company right now.

There's one big issue, though. CXMT and YMTC are both listed on the Department of Defence's 1260H list — characterized as "entities identified as Chinese military companies." Doing business with such companies is not a crime in the U.S., but it does run the risk of major political and regulatory backlash.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is in the process of lobbying the Trump administration in a bid to soften the potential political fallout from making a deal with CXMT and YMTC. Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook has also said that all avenues to solve the memory crisis should be explored when asked about the possibility of utilizing Chinese-made DRAM by the Wall Street Journal.

Politics means this may not impact you at all

Because of those problems, the new report claims that Apple will only be using Chinese-sourced DRAM in Chinese devices. Since iPhones made for the Chinese market have distinct hardware and software compared to international models, there's little chance of those devices accidentally ending up in the international supply chain. And if Apple can insulate Chinese iPhones, it can do the same for other products that may end up with Chinese DRAM as well.

Obviously having Apple adopt Chinese DRAM is not going to have an overnight impact on the cost of Apple products around the world. That said, the Chinese phone market is enormous and Apple is reported to have claimed 25% of the Chinese phone market following the launch of iPhone 17. Considering there are over a billion people in China, that's an awful lot of phones to be selling.

If such a large market is being catered to with domestically produced DRAM, it frees up some of the international supply. Those chips will almost certainly still come from the same suppliers as always; it just means Apple won't need as many chips. So that eases the burden on Apple, and hopefully means the pressure to continually increase prices to cover the rising memory costs is at least partially abated.

In an ideal world, any noticeable drop in demand would lead to lower prices, but with AI data centers eating up all the RAM, that isn't going to happen anytime soon. It's also worth mentioning that domestic companies reign supreme in China, and seeing foreign companies (like Apple) succeed is not that common. This means it's unlikely many companies will be able to follow Apple's example, and certainly not at the same scale.

But whether the politicians will agree that the situation requires fraternizing with Chinese firms that are on the U.S. government's naughty list is another matter. So we'll just have to see how this plays out, and whether it's actually going to matter to those of us who don't live in China.

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