Apple and its manufacturing partners are racing to secure enough mobile DRAM to complete production of the iPhone 18 Pro and its first foldable iPhone, widely rumored to be called the "iPhone Ultra," with around $1 billion worth of unpackaged processors reportedly sitting idle at TSMC as they wait on memory chips, according to semiconductor analyst Tim Culpan.

With less than six weeks until the expected debut, assemblers are working with Apple to hurry DRAM shipments. Apple leans heavily on Micron but also buys from SK Hynix and Samsung. The A20 Pro chip, Apple's first built on TSMC's N2 process, is piling up in completed wafers because packaging cannot finish without DRAM. Foxconn and BYD in China handle main logic board and final assembly, and delays could compress their schedules.

The squeeze reflects a broader memory shortage as AI infrastructure spending eats into global DRAM supply. CEO Tim Cook acknowledged "very significant constraints" on the July 30 earnings call. The crunch has already forced price hikes and shifted production priorities, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reporting Apple is steering buyers toward the MacBook Pro and away from the MacBook Air.

Assemblers have been told Apple plans to build around 200 million units combined across the iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone Ultra over their lifetimes, with the Ultra accounting for less than 10%. The foldable iPhone will likely cost more than $2,000, making it the most expensive iPhone ever sold.