A bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Schumer is calling on Apple to reject memory chips from Chinese suppliers ChangXin (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory (YMTC).
In a letter to CEO Tim Cook, lawmakers insisted that Apple pledge to keep the state-backed components out of its supply chain entirely, even for iPhones sold exclusively within China.
The pressure from Capitol Hill arrives at a moment when Apple has been actively lobbying the Trump administration to allow the purchases to proceed.
Apple is also pushing the government to keep CXMT off the Commerce Department’s Entity List, a federal designation that would require Apple to obtain an export license before doing any business with the company. YMTC already carries that designation.
Why Apple Wants Chinese Chips in the First Place
Memory shortages have pushed Apple to raise prices on Macs and iPads earlier this year. Sourcing chips from CXMT and YMTC would give Apple more supply leverage against its current memory vendors, Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.
Apple has told lawmakers it intends to use Chinese chips only in devices sold inside China, which it argues would free up more inventory from its existing suppliers for products sold in the U.S. and other markets.
Schumer rejected that logic in his letter. Schumer warned that limiting Chinese memory chips to devices sold in China is a temporary illusion.
Once a component clears Apple’s quality standards, expanding it globally requires just a single procurement decision.
More importantly, buying from CXMT still provides revenue and prestige to a supplier the Defense Department has flagged for military ties.
What This Means for Mac and iPad Prices
For consumers, the dispute has a direct cost. Memory shortages have already contributed to Apple increasing prices on select Macs and iPads in 2026.
If Apple is blocked from accessing Chinese chip suppliers and the shortage continues, there is no obvious near-term mechanism to bring those prices back down.
American manufacturers have expanded domestic production capacity, partly through funding from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, but that capacity is not yet fully online.
Reports from the Financial Times indicate Apple has already begun testing DRAM chips from CXMT, suggesting the company has moved well past preliminary conversations.
Schumer’s letter asks Apple to answer specific questions about the scope of that testing and the details of its lobbying efforts before August 21, 2026.
A Fight That Goes Back to 2022
Schumer blocked a similar Apple deal four years ago. In 2022, Apple attempted to sign a chip supply agreement with YMTC, and Schumer led the effort to stop it and push YMTC onto the Entity List.
The current standoff follows the same pattern, with Apple pursuing a Chinese memory supplier and Schumer working to impose federal restrictions before any deal closes.
Seven senators signed the letter, including Jim Banks, Mike Crapo, Jeanne Shaheen, Andy Kim, James Risch, and Pete Ricketts.
The combination of Republican and Democratic signatories reflects how Chinese semiconductor policy has drawn consistent support across party lines, even as other tech trade debates remain divided.
