**Apple faces steep regulatory and political hurdles in securing CXMT DRAM for 2026 devices, even as it lobbies the Trump administration for clearance and tests chips for China-market products.** The Pentagon’s 1260H blacklist over alleged PLA ties, combined with export-control limits on custom specifications, creates compliance and reputational risks that deter a full-scale shift from Micron, Samsung, and SK Hynix. AI-driven demand has redirected conventional DRAM capacity, spiking prices and prompting Apple’s recent product price hikes, yet CXMT’s output remains largely committed to domestic Chinese customers like Huawei and Xiaomi, with analysts noting insufficient excess supply for meaningful Apple volumes this year. Ongoing negotiations and early testing signal interest in diversifying supply amid the shortage, but congressional opposition and CXMT’s sold-out 2026 production make a confirmed purchase unlikely without major policy changes.