Apple's memory woes continue as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged the company not to buy Mac memory chips from Chinese suppliers, despite the ongoing supply crisis. Apple has been testing chips from the controversial CXMT to ease the global chip shortage۞ but the politically sensitive move triggered a warning from the Trump administration. After touring the new Apple Advanced Manufacturing Center in Houston, Lutnick told the media that “The Trump administration is not in favor of that.” He added that there must be other ways to fix the problem and stressed that “It’s not great American companies using Chinese memory.” While the Pentagon’s 1260 H list flags CXMT as linked to the military, it does not prohibit Apple from buying chips, though it could affect sales.

Micron lobbied the White House, saying that allowing sales from blacklisted companies would harm U.S. manufacturing. The Republican chair of the House China Committee, John Moolenaar, called Apple’s June proposal a “grave mistake.” Apple’s pursuit of CXMT chips has faced pushback from senators and competitors like HP and Acer, who already use CXMT memory outside the U.S. The debate highlights the tension between supply needs and national‑security concerns.