(Washington, 26th) Apple Inc. is actively lobbying the U.S. government to allow it to use memory chips produced in China, but Apple’s major supplier Micron Technology is strongly opposing the plan, putting U.S. President Trump in the middle of a power struggle between two tech giants.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple executives have in recent weeks been lobbying President Trump, Commerce Secretary Lutnick, and Treasury Secretary Besant and other officials, hoping the government will allow Apple to use memory chips produced in China in products sold outside the U.S. Apple claims this move would help alleviate the global shortage of memory chips and could lower the price of related products for American consumers.
However, Micron Technology, the only major American memory chip manufacturer, raised strong objections. Micron warned that if Chinese companies are allowed to supply U.S. tech giants, it could devastate the nascent domestic memory chip industry just as China’s past impact on America’s steel and manufacturing sectors did.
Micron points out that the fundamental solution to tight memory chip supply is to accelerate the construction of factories and increase domestic investment in the U.S., not by relying on external supply chains. Micron also states that price increases of consumer electronics like those of Apple are not solely due to the price of memory chips.
The dispute between Apple and Micron is forcing the Trump administration to choose between two core economic goals: reducing living costs for American consumers, or expanding domestic semiconductor production and decreasing reliance on foreign supply chains.
The White House spokesperson Desai responded by emphasizing that the Trump administration would "secure investment and economic aid for the American people while safeguarding national security."
The conflict between Apple and Micron has intensified the internal debate within the U.S. government over Chinese technology issues. Chinese firms have recently released powerful artificial intelligence models, prompting some senior U.S. officials to call for stricter protectionist measures to counter lower-cost Chinese competitors. Founders and investors of startups opposing this viewpoint argue that lower R&D and hardware costs are what truly drive technological innovation.