📌 Apple Tests New Supplier, Memory Prices Begin to Diverge
The memory shortage brought by AI does not mean that all storage products will benefit in the same way. Apple is reportedly testing CXMT memory chips for the iPhone and MacBook. For device makers, the direct purpose of expanding the supplier base is to increase purchasing options when supply is tight and reduce reliance on a small number of suppliers.
This will put more pressure on traditional memory. Once a new supplier enters the device supply chain, DRAM makers’ bargaining power when competing for orders may be constrained. Whether revenue and profits can continue improving cannot be judged solely by the industry-wide shortage; it also depends on whether customers are willing to accept price increases and whether new supply actually ramps up.
Mobile NAND has already shown more visible divergence. Global NAND makers are pushing for higher mobile NAND prices, seeking to bring them closer to enterprise SSD prices; however, Yangtze Memory has not raised prices by the same magnitude and has therefore gained additional share. This shows that price increases directly affect order flows: peers raising prices may improve average selling prices, but they also create opportunities for suppliers with more moderate pricing to gain entry.
HBM may be different. Its technical and certification barriers are higher, and in the short term it may still need to be viewed separately from competition in traditional DRAM and NAND. What needs to be verified next is whether Apple’s testing can translate into actual procurement, and whether the share gained by Yangtze Memory can be sustained. If both materialize, supply competition in traditional storage will be more important than the broad conclusion that “AI demand is strong.”
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