Apple Lobbies Trump to Allow Chinese Chipmakers in Supply Chain, Micron Opposes

According to WSJ, Apple on July 25 is lobbying the Trump administration to allow Chinese memory chip suppliers CXMT and YMTC to supply products sold outside the U.S. market, seeking to ease global chip shortages and lower consumer costs.

Micron, the largest U.S. memory chip maker, opposes the proposal, arguing it could weaken American semiconductor competitiveness. The lobbying reflects a policy conflict within the Trump administration: balancing consumer price reduction against semiconductor supply chain independence. Rising AI data center demand has driven memory chip prices up significantly over the past year, weakening Apple's negotiating leverage with suppliers.