Samsung to supply RAM for Chinese iPhones

SAN FRANCISCO: Samsung will supply RAM for iPhones for the Chinese market, rather than local supplier YMTC, as Apple continues to bow to pressure from the US.

According to AppleInsider, Apple has not yet purchased RAM from Yangtse Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC). It is also not prohibited by the latest US regulations, which focus on exports rather than imports.

Apple, on the other hand, has been planning to purchase 128-layer NAND chips from YMTC for use in the iPhone.

The chips are said to be one or two generations behind those produced by Micron and Samsung, but they are at least 20 per cent less expensive, according to the report.

The Samsung NAND chips are expected to be used in iPhones destined for China beginning in 2023.

This would imply that they are intended for the iPhone 15 line, but it is also possible that Apple will incorporate them into iPhone 14 production, the report added.

This is not Samsung's first time supplying components for the iPhone.

It produced early iPhone and iPad processors, RAM for a variety of Apple models over the last 20 years, and screens for the iPhone 14 Pro, among other things.

The Biden Administration has enacted new export laws in order to boost American processor production, plus avoid potential security issues.

In October 2022, YMTC was added to the US's Unverified List, meaning there are restrictions on how US companies can work with them, said the report.