Apple seeks US approval to buy chips from blacklisted Chinese company, FT reports

Apple is seeking U.S. government approval to source memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), the Financial Times reported. The request is aimed at easing financial pressure from rising memory chip costs.

The report said Apple has been in talks with the Trump administration, including the Commerce Department, seeking assurances that buying from CXMT would not trigger additional restrictions in the future. The company and other related parties did not respond to requests for comment reported by Reuters.

CXMT has been blacklisted by the Pentagon, and Apple’s effort highlights the tension between U.S. national security restrictions on certain Chinese technology firms and the broader supply-chain and pricing pressures faced by large U.S. tech companies.

The reporting also noted that while Apple is not currently prohibited from buying from CXMT in general, regulatory licensing risks and congressional concern about expanding commercial ties with strategically important Chinese semiconductor companies could complicate any approval.