Apple–Micron lobbying clash over Chinese memory chips
Apple executives, including CEO Tim Cook, have spent weeks pitching President Donald Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on a plan to use memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) in Apple devices sold outside the United States, according to The Wall Street Journal. Micron, the largest American memory maker, has lobbied the same officials in the opposite direction, with CEO Sanjay Mehrotra warning that letting Chinese memory firms into US supply chains could gut the domestic industry the way cheap imports gutted American steel. Both CXMT and YMTC remain on the US entity list, and the Pentagon has designated the two firms Chinese military companies.
Memory supply squeeze and pricing pressure
Apple's push comes against a backdrop of sharply tighter memory supply driven by AI data-centre demand. Research firm TechInsights has estimated memory prices have risen roughly fourfold over the past year, a dynamic that has already pushed Apple to raise prices across MacBooks, iPads and other lines. Apple has argued to Washington that Chinese chips would ease the crunch and keep US consumer prices down, and has accused Micron of gouging, pointing to gross margins now above 80%. Micron has countered that it can add capacity faster at home and that any new output will largely go to AI customers regardless.
Goodwill gestures and personal history
Both companies have been courting the administration. Micron has committed $250 billion to US manufacturing investment and recently pledged $250 million to match federal funding for Trump savings accounts covering newborns of employees and children in states where it operates. Both Apple and Micron also contributed to the construction of a new White House ballroom, and Cook previously presented Trump with a gold-based plaque during a tariff-exemption campaign. The WSJ also reports that personal friction runs deep, tracing back to Mehrotra's tenure at SanDisk, when he avoided meeting Apple. A White House spokesman said the administration would pursue economic relief while "safeguarding our national security."
Cyberattack on Apple India manufacturing partner
Separately, a major cyberattack on one of Apple's manufacturing partners in India has been described by industry observers as Apple's biggest data leak linked to its Indian operations, raising fresh questions about the country's readiness to replace China as Apple's primary manufacturing hub. Apple has been expanding iPhone production in India to diversify away from China, with Cook calling India one of the company's fastest-growing and most important markets. Analysts say the breach is likely to push Apple and other multinationals to tighten cybersecurity requirements for suppliers, while continuing their India build-out rather than scaling it back.
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