CXMT Rejects Apple's Price Pressure, Insists on Benchmarking Against Samsung and SK Hynix
nashnova research
CXMT rejected Apple's request for cheaper DRAM, insisting on prices at or above Samsung and SK Hynix levels. Huawei and Xiaomi have locked up most of its capacity through long-term contracts, strengthening memory makers' pricing power and squeezing Apple's room to negotiate.
Apple wanted a discount — why could CXMT say no?
South Korea's *Digital Daily* reports that Apple tried to negotiate lower prices for DRAM — the memory chips used in virtually every phone and PC — from CXMT (长鑫存储), and was flatly refused.
CXMT insisted its quotes be no lower than Samsung's or SK Hynix's — and possibly higher.
This means → CXMT no longer sees itself as a "cheap alternative." It is demanding parity or a premium versus the world's top memory makers.
Where does CXMT's leverage come from?
Huawei, Xiaomi, and other Chinese OEMs have locked up most of CXMT's output through long-term supply contracts.
In plain terms = CXMT's production lines are already fully booked. It does not need to cut prices to win Apple's business.
This reflects a broader shift: China's domestic supply chain is forming a closed loop — demand and supply are matched internally before any capacity reaches outside buyers.
Why has Apple's old bargaining chip stopped working?
Big tech buyers used to play a reliable card: "Give us a discount or we'll buy cheaper Chinese chips instead." This was an effective lever against Samsung and SK Hynix.
That option is now effectively gone — CXMT *is* the Chinese capacity, and it has refused to play the low-cost substitute.
This means → Apple is squeezed from both sides: it cannot pressure the Korean makers, and it cannot pressure the Chinese maker either. Its negotiating room has narrowed sharply.
What is changing in the broader memory-pricing landscape?
Global memory makers are shifting large amounts of capacity toward high-value AI server memory (HBM), leaving less production for the commodity DRAM used in phones and PCs.
Tighter supply + no more cheap Chinese alternative → commodity DRAM prices are being lifted across the board.
In plain terms = it is not just premium memory getting more expensive. Even the most basic memory chips are harder to buy cheaply now. Memory makers' pricing power is strengthening systemically.
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