Changxin Rejects Apple's Price Pressure, Prices Not Lower Than Samsung and SK Hynix, Apple Loses Pricing Power
Apple recently attempted to negotiate lower-priced DRAM procurement deals with China's CXMT (ChangXin Memory Technologies) compared to its agreements with Samsung and SK Hynix but was rejected. CXMT stated its prices would not be lower, and could even be higher, than those of the South Korean suppliers. This refusal is attributed to CXMT's production capacity being largely secured by long-term contracts with major domestic clients like Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and Chinese internet giants. Consequently, CXMT feels no pressure to meet Apple's stringent terms.
The backdrop is a significant surge in memory prices driven by the AI boom. As Samsung and SK Hynix shift more production capacity towards high-margin High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for AI servers, the supply of conventional DRAM has tightened, causing prices to skyrocket. This has drastically increased the bill-of-materials cost for devices like iPhones, pressuring Apple's profits. Apple's traditional strategy of leveraging multiple suppliers for price competition has weakened, as memory makers prioritize more profitable AI-related orders.
CXMT's confidence stems from achieving technological parity. Its DDR5 and LPDDR5X products have reached mass-production yields above 90%, closely matching Samsung's performance. With technical gaps closed, CXMT no longer competes solely on low prices. Furthermore, Chinese companies are wary of the risks associated with over-reliance on Apple's supply chain, citing cases like OFILM and Wingtech, which suffered severe losses after being removed from or impacted by US sanctions.
This event signals a shift in the semiconductor industry's power dynamics. The AI-driven demand has transformed the market from buyer-centric to supplier-centric, where control over scarce, advanced production capacity grants pricing power. For Chinese semiconductor firms, the episode marks a transition from being low-cost alternatives to becoming equal suppliers with their own pricing authority, backed by domestic demand and technological advancement. Apple's loss of leverage with a mainland supplier underscores this changing era.
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