Apple Lobbies Trump Administration for Clearance to Buy Chips from Blacklisted Chinese Firm CXMT

*Apple wants permission to source memory chips from a company the Pentagon placed on its Chinese Military Company list over alleged PLA links.*

Apple is pressing the Trump administration for approval to purchase memory chips from CXMT, a Chinese firm the Defense Department has added to its blacklist. The request comes even though the company is viewed as a national champion with reported ties to the People’s Liberation Army.

The Financial Times reported that six people familiar with the discussions say Apple is seeking explicit clearance. CXMT appears on the Pentagon’s 1260H list, which flags Chinese entities alleged to support the military and undermine U.S. national security. A second firm, YMTC, sits on the same list.

Apple is not currently prohibited from buying chips from either company. The blacklist does not carry an automatic purchase ban for commercial buyers. Still, any administration decision to green-light the purchases would face strong congressional pushback, according to the reporting.

CXMT produces DRAM and is regarded inside China as a strategic player in memory technology. Apple’s interest reflects its ongoing need for diversified suppliers of high-volume components.

The move highlights the friction between commercial supply-chain decisions and U.S. export-control policy aimed at limiting technology flows to entities with military connections.

---

Sources:

• Engadget
• Daring Fireball

{
  "excerpt": "Apple is seeking Trump administration clearance to buy memory chips from CXMT, a Chinese firm on the Pentagon’s military blacklist.",
  "suggestedSection": "business",
  "suggestedTags": ["apple", "cxmt", "memory-chips", "china-blacklist"],
  "imagePrompt": "Abstract silicon wafers and memory modules laid across a dark grid surface, divided by thin red and blue light lines that suggest competing supply routes. muted color palette, cinematic lighting, 16:9"
}