Apple Seeks to Buy Chinese-Made Memory Chips by Lobbying US

- Apple is lobbying the US government for permission to buy NAND flash memory chips made by China's YMTC (Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp.), a major Chinese semiconductor firm. - YMTC has been blacklisted by the US Commerce Department, meaning American companies cannot purchase its technology or components without a special license. - The US restricted YMTC exports starting in 2022, citing national security concerns linked to China's military modernization and human rights issues in Xinjiang (where YMTC sources some materials). - Apple's push reflects a tension: it wants a cheaper, additional supply source for memory chips used in iPhones and other devices, but the US government sees YMTC as a national security risk. - If approved, it would mark a significant softening of US export controls on Chinese semiconductors, potentially reshaping the global memory-chip market dominated by Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.