郭明錤｜Ming-Chi Kuo (@mingchikuo)

The memory supply-demand gap will keep widening through 2027. That is the real reason Apple is lobbying the White House to keep CXMT off the Entity List. ▌Start with my latest industry checks: The pressure on Apple has shifted from soaring memory costs to a widening supply gap. 1. Of the memory capacity allocated to consumer electronics in 2026, an estimated 15–20% is expected to shift to data centers in 2027, and that share could grow. 2. Due to tight memory (LPDDR) supply, Apple's actual pull-in volume of A20 chips in 2H26–1Q27 could be 10–20% below its original target (though part of that may reflect Apple’s own overbooking). ▌CXMT states in its IPO prospectus that its capacity is far below domestic demand. Given the persistent global memory imbalance, even if Apple’s lobbying succeeds and it buys DRAM from CXMT, that would not materially lower costs or fill the supply gap. Still, with the imbalance widening, Apple has every reason to secure an additional source. ▌This also explains why Apple is being more proactive this time than it was when it evaluated YMTC in 2022. YMTC was mainly about lowering NAND costs; CXMT is about managing DRAM supply risk. ▌Tim Cook is one of the few tech leaders who can still navigate both Washington and Beijing, so this is better handled before he steps down as CEO. Even if the effort goes nowhere, the media coverage can still leave the market with the impression that Apple tried but was constrained by U.S. policy. That may help ease frustration over price hikes and longer delivery times.

2027 年記憶體供需缺口將持續擴大，這才是 Apple 遊說白宮「避免長鑫存儲未來被列入實體清單」的真相 ▌先講我最新的產業調查：Apple 面對的壓力，已從記憶體成本大增，升級到供需缺口持續擴大。 1. 2026 年用於消費電子的記憶體產能中，預計 15–20% 將於 2027 年轉供資料中心，且後續不排除繼續擴大。 2. 受記憶體（LPDDR）供應緊張影響，Apple 在 2H26–1Q27 對 A20 處理器的實際拉貨量，可能比原目標少 10–20%（不過，這也可能部分是 Apple over-booking 的結果）。 ▌長鑫在招股書中提到，該公司的產能遠低於國內需求；加上全球記憶體供需持續失衡，因此即便 Apple 遊說成功並向長鑫採購 DRAM，也不會顯著降低成本與改善供需缺口。但在供需失衡持續擴大下，Apple 仍有必要爭取新的供應來源。 ▌這也解釋為何 Apple 這次會比 2022 年評估長江存儲更積極。當年的長江，是提供改善 NAND 成本的選項；而這次的長鑫，則是管理 DRAM 供需失衡風險的選項。 ▌Tim Cook 是少數能同時與美中政府維持良好關係的科技領袖，故此事最好趕在他卸任 CEO 前完成。即便最終未果，透過媒體披露後，也能讓市場留下「Apple 已盡力、無奈仍受限於美方政策」的印象，或能緩和市場對漲價與交期拉長的不滿。

如我先前所說，Apple可以想辦法安撫川普情緒，來暫時性轉移川普對iPhone關稅的注意力，看來Apple找到方法了。 Trump: Apple Is Going to Buy a Lot of Trump Gold Cards