The Financial Times has reported that Apple is testing controversial Chinese DRAM chips in its products, amid the current memory chip crisis.
ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is a memory chip maker based in Hefei, China.
The company is controversially backed by the Chinese state, which could raise concerns among some US officials due to rising tensions between the two countries.
Apple has reportedly been lobbying the US government to allow the use of Chinese memory chips, as some Chinese semiconductor companies are currently listed on a US Department of Defence blacklist.
The blacklist includes CXMT.
Despite these restrictions, it is not illegal for companies such as Apple to use these chips, which could help reduce pricing pressure and bring an additional competitor to the concentrated memory market.
CXMT is the world's 4th largest memory chip maker according to the Financial Times, behind only Samsung, SK Hynix and Micron.
If Apple does begin to use CXMT chips, the company could gain access to DRAM at a lower price, which would help ease some of the pressure cause by the current memory chip supply crisis.
This report may also be welcome news to consumers, following Apples price hikes last month across multiple product lines mid-cycle, and rumours that the next iPhone models could increase in price.
While the use of Chinese DRAM may not reduce current costs, it could prevent further increases in the future.
