Apple seeks Trump clearance to buy Chinese memory chips

Apple is seeking approval from the Trump administration to purchase memory chips from a Chinese semiconductor firm that is on a U.S. national security blacklist, according to reports. The iPhone maker has lobbied the White House for clearance to buy from ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) as it grapples with soaring memory chip costs.

The lobbying effort, which began over a month ago with an approach to the Commerce Department, has since expanded to include other administration officials and allies in Washington. The move aims to ease financial pressure on Apple from a historic surge in memory and storage chip prices, which the company says it can no longer absorb. Apple recently raised prices for its iPad and MacBook lineups, citing these increased component costs.

CXMT, China's leading memory chipmaker, was designated a Chinese military company by the Defense Department under the Biden administration. It was added to the Commerce Department's Entity List last year following an interagency committee review. U.S. companies are prohibited from exporting goods, software, and technology to entities on that list without a license, which is typically denied. This status complicates...