China’s CXMT rejects Apple’s price-cut demands for DRAM, boosting Samsung and SK Hynix’s pricing power amid global shortage

In a striking reversal of traditional supply-chain dynamics, China’s ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has rebuffed Apple’s requests for lower prices on mobile DRAM, according to industry reports. The move underscores a severe shortage in general-purpose memory chips and hands greater negotiation leverage to South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. CXMT refused, instead holding firm at levels matching or even exceeding those charged by Samsung and SK Hynix. CXMT’s absorption of substantial Chinese commodity DRAM demand relieves the Korean firms of pressure to supply lower-margin general-purpose chips. Memory cost pressures had already prompted Apple to raise prices on some Mac and iPad models.