Apple Lobbies Trump to Buy Chips From Blacklisted China Firm
Apple is pushing the White House for a waiver to source memory chips from CXMT, a Pentagon-blacklisted Chinese company, as chip costs climb.
Apple is going straight to the Trump administration asking for a green light to buy memory chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies — a Chinese firm sitting on the Pentagon's blacklist. The Financial Times broke the story Friday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the lobbying effort. That's a bold ask, and Wall Street is paying attention.
The pressure driving this move is simple: memory chip prices are rising, and Apple wants relief. CXMT is apparently a cost-effective option, but the Pentagon's designation makes any direct business relationship legally complicated. So instead of walking away from the deal, Apple is pushing Washington to carve out an exception.
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This is a classic Tim Cook playbook — work the political levers quietly rather than pick public fights. Apple has navigated U.S.-China trade tensions before, and a targeted waiver would let the company keep its supply chain economics intact without blowing up its government relationships. Whether the Trump White House plays ball is another question entirely.
As of publication, the White House, Apple, and CXMT had all declined to respond to Reuters' requests for comment made outside business hours. That silence speaks volumes — nobody wants to own this story publicly right now. Watch for an official response or a quiet denial in the days ahead.
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